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

On a night filled with mourning, the Dallas Cowboys honored their late teammate Marshawn Kneeland with a victory. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 Nov. 2025

And student organizers in Indiana and around the country say more young people are channeling their mourning into political engagement — resulting in an influx of new campus chapters and overall membership. —Cate Charron, IndyStar, 17 Nov. 2025

Mobley said to officers watching his mourning family. —Charlotte Observer, 14 Nov. 2025

And for Parton, that particular aspect of the production has been crucial to her mourning process. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Nov. 2025

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