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

The grieving in the sense of mourning and crying and all that might stop, but the pain is going to be there. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026

After a few words of introduction, Alexis started asking Graciela and me questions about our creative processes, about the importance of surprises in art, about the relationship between photographs and stories, about memory and mourning and pain. —Literary Hub, 29 May 2026

Religion and mourning Choi explains that a requiem Mass is a staple of the choral community and comes from Catholicism. —Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 29 May 2026

Three men in Hawaii were killed within 48 hours, leaving devastated families in mourning and a terrified community on edge as police hunt for the suspect. —Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 28 May 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