Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To feel or express deep sorrow, grief, or regret, especially over someone's death or a great loss.
   • To observe the customs and rituals associated with a period of grief after a death.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To feel or show sadness or sorrow.
   • To grieve for someone who has died.

Usage

• As a transitive verb, "mourn" is followed directly by the object of grief (e.g., a person, a loss).
• As an intransitive verb, it is often followed by the preposition "for" or "over" to indicate the person or thing being grieved.

Examples

• Transitive Verb:
  • The whole nation mourned the passing of the beloved leader.
  • She is still mourning the loss of her husband.
• Intransitive Verb:
  • He sat alone to mourn for his friend.
  • They gathered to mourn over the tragedy.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in mourning": To be in a formal period or state of grief, often marked by specific behaviors like wearing black clothing.
  • The family will be in mourning for forty days.
• "mourn the passing/death of": A formal phrase used to express collective grief for a public figure or significant event.
  • Fans around the world mourned the death of the music icon.

Variants and Related Words

• Mourner (n): A person who mourns, especially at a funeral.
  • The mourners followed the coffin in silence.
• Mournful (adj): Expressing or feeling sorrow; sad and gloomy.
  • The dog let out a long, mournful howl.
• Mourning (n): The act of sorrowing or the period during which signs of grief are shown.
  • She was dressed in black, a symbol of her mourning.

Synonyms

• Grieve: To feel intense sorrow, especially due to a loss. (Often used interchangeably with "mourn," but "grieve" can refer more to the internal feeling, while "mourn" can include outward expression.)
• Lament: To express grief, regret, or disappointment, often passionately and vocally.
• Bewail: To express great regret, sadness, or disappointment about something. (More literary)

Phrasal Verbs

• Mourn for: To grieve or feel sorrow for someone or something.
  • We all mourn for the innocent lives lost.
• Mourn over: To be consumed by grief regarding a particular loss or event.
  • It's not healthy to mourn over past mistakes forever.

Related Idioms

• Wear mourning: To dress in black or other conventional clothes as a sign of bereavement.
  • In that culture, close relatives wear mourning for a full year.
• Go into mourning: To begin a formal period of grief.
  • The court went into mourning after the king's death.

Verb

1. observe the customs of mourning after the death of a loved one
2. feel sadness
   • She is mourning her dead child