lament

verb

la·ment | \lə-ˈment

lamented; lamenting; laments

Definition of lament

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to mourn aloud : wail nightingales lament without ceasing— L. P. Smith

transitive verb

1 : to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : mourn … must regret the imprudence, lament the result …— Jane Austen

2 : to regret strongly He lamented his decision not to go to college.

lament

noun

Definition of lament (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a crying out in grief : wailing

2 : dirge, elegy

3 : complaint

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about lament

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Choose the Right Synonym for lament

Verb

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

Examples of lament in a Sentence

Verb

She lamented over the loss of her best friend. “I've lost my best friend!” she lamented.

Noun

The poem is a lament for a lost love. the national lament that was heard when President Kennedy was assassinated

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Much has been lamented over the butterfly-switch keyboard Apple started putting into its MacBooks. — Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, "Why did Lenovo stretch the ThinkPad X1 Extreme to 15 inches? To kill the MacBook Pro," 30 Aug. 2018 Andrews, in his writings, laments how the automobile will dull the romance of the Gobi, and a part of me agrees the moment our tires touch pavement. — Jason Harper, Condé Nast Traveler, "On the Hunt for Dinosaur Bones in the Gobi Desert," 20 July 2018 Polemicists lament that cursive is going the way of the dodo. — Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, "Not Your Average Autograph Collection," 12 July 2018 When the Orioles' woeful defense was brought up before Thursday's makeup game with the Philadelphia Phillies, Orioles manager Buck Showalter lamented the amount of players playing out of their ideal positions. — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Try as they might, Orioles can't use out-of-position players as reason for league's worst defense," 12 July 2018 Some people lamented that the country’s ability to debate the tough issues of the day civilly seems hopelessly lost. — BostonGlobe.com, "Americans celebrate nation’s birthday, lament divisions," 4 July 2018 While the team enjoyed some exciting highs last season, topped by Hinchcliffe’s win at Long Beach, there were far too many lows, particularly in May, Philips lamented. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "New SPM engineer Leena Gade thrilled to know nothing about IndyCar," 31 Jan. 2018 The photos, posted by people who lament the death of Chicago’s tangible past, flit through my social media feed like a parade of the condemned en route to the guillotine. — Mary Schmich, chicagotribune.com, "Awful! Sad! No More! Stop demolishing Chicago's beautiful old homes," 12 July 2018 Duterte lamented in that speech that Adam and Eve's sin in Christian theology resulted in all the faithful falling from divine grace. — Jim Gomez, Fox News, "Bishops call for 3-day fasting after Duterte says God stupid," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

His wife is on him to tone it down, plus free-throw groaning and rebound laments are pretty tame. — Carolyn Hax, The Seattle Times, "Worried that her husband’s decision to order a burger could be a sign of dementia," 24 July 2018 In fact, as a lead singer, JJ Julius Son was akin to a bluesy Eddie Vedder rather than Robert Plant or Chris Cornell. Ballads and laments suited his murmuring tenderness. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 4: In Real Life, Kaleo, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and more," 30 June 2018 Among Democratic bosses who weren’t watching soccer, laments and cries were heard when Kennedy’s retirement was confirmed. — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, "It's a bad week to be a Democratic boss," 27 June 2018 But something about Michael's doomsday lament — rooted in a young man's naivete, but also in a scientifically accurate view of the planet — nonetheless takes root deep within Toller, feeding on his own despair. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "The bracing 'First Reformed,' starring a superb Ethan Hawke, resurrects Paul Schrader's career," 17 May 2018 And at the very outside of the cycle comes music that draws most tellingly on traditions of lament and consolation. — Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, "Brownlee unveils a new song cycle on themes of race and hope," 1 Apr. 2018 The tabloids reported on it with a mix of smug derision and hollow lament. — Josie Duffy Rice, The Atlantic, "The Gospel According to Pusha T," 12 July 2018 Climate hawks lament that in the decade since, actual implementation of climate policies has stalled. — Kelsey Brugger, Scientific American, "Alaska Wants to Fight Warming While Still Drilling for Oil," 12 July 2018 Critics have faulted the president for using language that echoes white supremacist laments about the loss of white power. — Fox News, "Trump stands by 'culture' criticism of European immigration," 13 July 2018

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