bemoan

[ bih-mohn ]

verb (used with object)

1. to express distress or grief over; lament:

   to bemoan one's fate.

2. to regard with regret or disapproval.

bemoan

/ bɪˈməʊn /

verb

1. to grieve over (a loss, etc); mourn; lament (esp in the phrase bemoan one's fate )

Other Word Forms

• be·moaning·ly adverb
• unbe·moaned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bemoan¹

before 1000; be- + moan; replacing bemene, Middle English bimenen, Old English bimǣnan ( bi- be- + mǣnan to moan)

Word History and Origins

Origin of bemoan¹

Old English bemǣnan ; see be- , moan

Example Sentences

In manager Dave Roberts’ view, there has been a lack of quality “team at-bats,” with the manager bemoaning his team’s tendency to chase pitches out of the zone in key situations.

From Los Angeles Times

Of the French text, Mothersbaugh bemoans the fact that he’s not multilingual.

From Los Angeles Times

And in several anonymized survey responses shared exclusively with Salon, parents didn’t bemoan their offspring as being anything close to lazy or entitled.

From Salon

They claim to be the party of fiscal conservatism and their leaders bemoan the national debt, but this plan blows up the debt.

From Salon

“I would love if the press, for once, would focus on the actual facts and actions of the administration. This is just – this is frankly just noise,” Habba bemoaned.

From Salon

Related Words

• deplore
• lament
• mourn
• regret