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

Filatov declared Wednesday to be an official day of mourning. —Arkansas Online, 25 June 2025

Muharram, a sacred month of mourning for Shia Muslims, is believed to be around the corner. —Chelsea Chan, NBC news, 24 June 2025

Klitschko later declared Wednesday a day of mourning for the victims of the attack. —Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 17 June 2025

The slim tortilla bundles filled with crispy or grilled chicken, shredded cheese, and ranch or honey mustard dressing were discontinued in 2016, leaving fans in mourning. —Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 June 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