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

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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

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
Trump bemoaned the lack of bipartisanship in Washington, having belittled prominent Democrats himself.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump: Not 'That Far Off' From Passing Health Overhaul," 25 June 2017
Some bemoaned it as wasteful and unnecessarily divisive.

— devin kelly, Alaska Dispatch News, "After incumbents survive Homer council recall effort, a desire to ‘move on’," 18 June 2017
As premium ticket prices have soared, many buyers have responded with outrage, accusing theater owners of price gouging and bemoaning the emergence of Broadway as one more exclusive preserve for the ultrarich.

— james b. stewart, New York Times, "Broadway Tickets, for the Price of an Economics Lesson," 8 June 2017
Coaches bemoan the idea of recruits decommitting from their school while actively working to plunder the classes pledged to their rivals.

— michael casagrande, AL.com, "These Alabama stars flipped commitments to join Tide," 8 June 2017
Patrick and Ramsay bemoaned England isn’t known for breakfast.

— dan gelston, star-telegram.com, "Celebrity chef Ramsay gives NASCAR taste of ‘The F Word’," 5 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

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. fans bewailed the defeat purists bemoaning the corruption of the language