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
Arnold Bennett
b
: a period of time during which signs of grief are shown
after a long mourning, resume their ordinary dresses—Henry Reed
Henry ReedExamples 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 deadly incident in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the Jet Set nightclub sent shockwaves around the country, with three days of mourning declared in the wake of the disaster.
—Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
After the election, Ray spent two days in political mourning.
—Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
The anthrax attacks left a deep mark on the American psyche, hitting at a time when the nation was already in mourning.
—Peter White, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
The fatalities were the first in Kyiv in more than two months, and on Sunday, the Ukrainian flag atop the 335-foot-tall Motherland Monument was lowered to half-staff as a symbol of mourning.
—arkansasonline.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mourning
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Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 10 Apr. 2025
After the election, Ray spent two days in political mourning.
—Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2025
The anthrax attacks left a deep mark on the American psyche, hitting at a time when the nation was already in mourning.
—Peter White, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
The fatalities were the first in Kyiv in more than two months, and on Sunday, the Ukrainian flag atop the 335-foot-tall Motherland Monument was lowered to half-staff as a symbol of mourning.
—arkansasonline.com, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mourning
Cite this Entry
“Mourning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mourning. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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