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

With no mourning clothes in her luggage, the Queen had to remain on her plane after landing in London until an all-black outfit was delivered. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 11 Oct. 2025

For Israelis, the overwhelming sense is that their country has become ever more isolated on the world stage, even as its people remain in mourning. —Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025

Now, all that was gone, leaving fans worldwide in mourning and Markle with an unfinished film. —Simon Bland, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2025

Zion Regev, a municipal leader, read out an adapted version of the traditional Jewish prayer of mourning. —New York Times, 7 Oct. 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