bemoan

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verb be·moan \ bi-ˈmōn , bē- \

Definition of bemoan

transitive verb

1 :to express deep grief or distress over

bemoan the death of their leader

2 :to regard with displeasure, disapproval, or regret

bemoaning the lack of civility in modern political discourse

See bemoan defined for English-language learners

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Examples of bemoan in a Sentence

He bemoans the fact that the team lost again.
an article bemoaning the decline in voter turnout
Some critics are always bemoaning the state of the language.

Recent Examples of bemoan from the Web

An original version of the editorial bemoaned the viciousness of American politics, and suggested that political incitement contributed to gun tragedies.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "Why the ‘New York Times’ Beat Sarah Palin in Court," 29 Aug. 2017
Politicians and policy leaders routinely bemoan their quality.

— jack schneider, The Atlantic, "The Urban-School Stigma," 25 Aug. 2017
Cuda also houses a twentysomething granddaughter (Christine Forrest, the director's then-wife), whose boyfriend (Tom Savini, also the film's make-up artist) bemoans the lack of jobs for young mechanics like himself.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Paranormal / RIP RIP George A. Romero, whose Martin remains a masterpiece of independent filmmaking," 28 July 2017
Deputy PM sees more jobs created but bemoans labor shortage Morawiecki rues losing U.K. as EU ally amid spat with Brussels The U.K.’s divorce from the European Union is a bitter-sweet affair for Poland’s finance minister.

— andrew langley, Bloomberg.com, "Brexit's Silver Lining for Poland Would Be Return of Its Workers," 27 July 2017
Each side assumes the existence of a flawless, ruthlessly executed plan on the other side, while bemoaning the chaos and excessive scruples that beset their own allies.

— jonathan h. adler, Washington Post, "‘Why have so many . . . embraced such a transparently flawed book?’," 15 July 2017
But some Yemeni physicians bemoaned the suspension of the campaign.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "Cholera vaccination campaign in Yemen is dropped," 12 July 2017
Some founders lived long enough to watch, and bemoan the political rise of Andrew Jackson in the 1820s.

— Washington Post, "As July Fourth approaches, Americans debate democracy’s fate," 1 July 2017
Subheads detailed new service levels on the rails, changes to bus schedules and fare increases, all of which riders have particularly bemoaned given three major service disruptions over four days.

— rachel siegel, Washington Post, "Surprise! You might be getting a refund from Metro," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bemoan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of bemoan

before 12th century

bemoan Synonyms

Synonyms

lament, bewail, deplore, grieve (for), mourn, wail (for)

Antonyms

delight, exult (in), glory (in), joy, rejoice (in)

Related Words

elegize; cry (for), keen, moan, weep; regret, rue; bawl, blubber, sob; agonize, bleed, hurt, sorrow, suffer

Near Antonyms

beam, cheer, grin, laugh, smile

Synonym Discussion of bemoan

deplore, lament, bewail, bemoan mean to express grief or sorrow for something. deplore implies regret for the loss or impairment of something of value.

- deplores the breakdown in family values

lament implies a profound or demonstrative expression of sorrow.

- lamenting the loss of their only child

bewail and bemoan imply sorrow, disappointment, or protest finding outlet in words or cries, bewail commonly suggesting loudness, and bemoan lugubriousness.