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
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2025
Televisions had already been around for decades, and people had lamented their existence from the start.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
The poem ends with the hero’s burial and the laments of his followers.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lament
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Darcy, who was Stelter’s colleague at CNN before co-founding the independent news outlet Status, lamented the recent tendencies of many large news organizations.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2025
Televisions had already been around for decades, and people had lamented their existence from the start.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
But a loss is a loss, 1-5 is 1-5, and McDaniel’s lament is pure truth.
—Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
The poem ends with the hero’s burial and the laments of his followers.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share