lamented; lamenting; laments
: to mourn aloud : wail
nightingales lament without ceasing—
L. P. Smith
L. P. Smith1
: to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : mourn
… must regret the imprudence, lament the result …—Jane Austen
Jane Austen2
: to regret strongly
He lamented his decision not to go to college.
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 the beloved singer perished in the crash
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Yorko, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
In his public appearances, Farley has lamented the shortage of young Americans entering the skilled trades, a concern echoed by many business leaders and economists.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Told through empathetic interviews with his bandmates and family, Struebing’s ordeal becomes a tale of partial redemption and a lament about the failure of our justice system to meet the mental-health needs of people caught up in it.
—Judy Berman, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lament
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Verb
Unlike other parts of the world where skiers lament the growing crowds, people here were excited for others to come and experience this Andean traverse.
—Scott Yorko, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
In his public appearances, Farley has lamented the shortage of young Americans entering the skilled trades, a concern echoed by many business leaders and economists.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
This map is a lament, but also an attempt to perform a restoration, to imagine the nonviolent future after the war has ended when these institutions can be rebuilt.
—Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025
Told through empathetic interviews with his bandmates and family, Struebing’s ordeal becomes a tale of partial redemption and a lament about the failure of our justice system to meet the mental-health needs of people caught up in it.
—Judy Berman, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lament
Cite this Entry
“Lament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lament. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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