lament

American  

[luh-ment] / ləˈmɛnt /

verb (used with object)

laments, present (3rd person singular) lamented, past participle, past lamenting present participle

1. to feel or express sorrow or regret for.

   to lament his absence.

   Synonyms:

   deplore, bemoan, bewail

2. to mourn for or over.

   Synonyms:

   deplore, bemoan, bewail

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verb (used without object)

laments, present (3rd person singular) lamented, past participle, past lamenting present participle

1. to feel, show, or express grief, sorrow, or regret.

   Synonyms:

   weep, grieve

2. to mourn deeply.

   Synonyms:

   weep, grieve

noun

laments plural

1. an expression of grief or sorrow.

   Synonyms:

   moan, lamentation

2. a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, especially in verse or song; an elegy or dirge.

   Synonyms:

   threnody, monody

lament British  

/ ləˈmɛnt /

verb

1. to feel or express sorrow, remorse, or regret (for or over)

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noun

1. an expression of sorrow

2. a poem or song in which a death is lamented

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lamenter
  noun
• lamentingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• laments
  plural

Participles

• lamenting
  present
• lamented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lament
  simple
• laments
  simple
• have lamented
  perfect
• has lamented
  perfect
• am lamenting
  progressive
• are lamenting
  progressive
• is lamenting
  progressive
• have been lamenting
  perfect progressive
• has been lamenting
  perfect progressive

Past

• lamented
  simple
• had lamented
  perfect
• was lamenting
  progressive
• were lamenting
  progressive
• had been lamenting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will lament
  simple
• will have lamented
  perfect
• will be lamenting
  progressive
• will have been lamenting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of lament

First recorded in 1520–30; (noun) from Latin lāmentum “plaint”; (verb) from Latin lāmentārī, derivative of lāmentum

Explanation

If you are really upset or sorry about something, you might lament it. A lament is full of regret and grief. If you lament something, then you feel sorry about it. You could lament a mistake you made, or you could lament a horrible thing that happened to a friend. Also, a lament is an expression of grief. So if you keep saying how sorry you are about something, someone could say, "Enough of your laments!" There's also an old literary form called "a lament," which expresses feelings of loss in a long dramatic poem.

Example Sentences

The familiar lament that Indian football fans have learnt to live with is back after the "greatest show on earth" kicked off last week.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

Those of us who languish in the academic wasteland are too tardy to lament, so little has changed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

My hair woes started in high school, when I would scrape my curls into a bun and lament how thin my hairline looked.

From Slate • May 23, 2026

And, as someone I wrote about two years ago regarding busted sidewalks in his neighborhood, he shared this lament about Thursday’s debate:

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

My lament subsided into bitter tears that left me shaking as if all my limbs would come loose from my body.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• bemoan
• deplore
• regret