mourning

noun

mourn·​ing ˈmȯr-niŋ 

1

: the act of sorrowing

She is still in mourning for her dead husband.

2

a

: an outward sign (such as black clothes or an armband) of grief for a person's death

Lots of people there, and only one man in full mourning.

—Arnold Bennett

b

: a period of time during which signs of grief are shown

… after a long mourning, resume their ordinary dresses.

—Henry Reed

Examples of mourning in a Sentence

a day of national mourning

She is still in mourning for her dead husband.

The whole town was in mourning.

a period of deep mourning

His widow was dressed in mourning.

Recent Examples on the Web

His removal has sparked celebrations in Tehran, as well as 40 days’ official mourning and huge pro-regime crowds – but also a struggle for what remains of the regime to work out what comes next. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 1 Mar. 2026

The paintings serve as a sort of radiograph of Neel’s mourning process, created after the loss of her father-in-law. —Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 1 Mar. 2026

Mourners raised a black flag over the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad and the Iranian government declared 40 days of public mourning and a seven-day nationwide public holiday to commemorate Khamenei’s death. —Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2026

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed revenge for his killing and declared Khamenei a martyr, meaning 40 days of mourning that began to take place on Sunday. —Marin Scott, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mourning

• go into mourning
• mourning cloak
• mourning dove

Rhymes for mourning

• corning
• horning
• morning
• scorning
• warning
• adorning
• forewarning
• midmorning

Kids Definition

mourning

noun

mourn·​ing ˈmōr-niŋ 

ˈmȯr-

1

: the act of grieving

2

: an outward sign (as black clothes or a black arm band) of grief for a person's death

to wear mourning

3

: a period of time during which signs of grief are shown