Standard Lemma guide

bemoan

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /bɪˈməʊn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /bɪˈmoʊn/
  • rhymes with -əʊn
  • CMU ARPABET: B IH0 M OW1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To moan or complain about (something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • He bemoaned the drought but went on watering his lawn.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bewail, lament, mourn, beef, bellyache, bemoan, bitch, bleat, whimper, carp, chunter, complain, crab, croak, dump on, frine, girn, give out, grumble, grotch, grouse, grouch, grump, gruntle, gripe, harp, inveigh, kvetch, latrate, make a stink, murmur, mutter, moan, nag, nark, nudzh, pinch, piss and moan, rail, rail out, repine, ride, snivel, whine, whinge

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To be dismayed or worried about (someone), particularly because of their situation or what has happened to them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: reflexive, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grieve, lament, afterthink, becry, begrieve, bemoan, bemourn, bewail, beweep, condole, deplore, elegize, grieven, keen, mean, mourn, pine, repent, sigh, sorrow, wail, wayment

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

regret strongly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I deplore this hostile action
  • we lamented the loss of benefits

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: deplore, lament, bewail

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: complain, kick, plain, sound off, quetch, kvetch

History

Etymology

From Middle English bemenen, bimenen, from Old English bemǣnan (“to bemoan, bewail, lament”); equivalent to be- (“about, concerning”) + moan. Alteration of vowel from Middle to Modern English due to analogy with moan.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: ողբալ (oġbal) — to complain about
  • Aromanian: arâbdâsescu — to complain about
  • Aromanian: arâvdâsescu — to complain about
  • Aromanian: butsescu — to complain about
  • Aromanian: jilescu — to complain about
  • Aromanian: miruloyiu — to complain about
  • Aromanian: mirulyisescu — to complain about
  • Aromanian: zghilescu — to complain about
  • Bulgarian: оплаквам (oplakvam) — to complain about
  • Czech: stěžovat si — to complain about
  • Czech: naříkat — to complain about
  • Czech: lamentovat — to complain about
  • Finnish: valittaa — to complain about
  • Finnish: voivotella — to complain about
  • Finnish: surkutella — to complain about
  • Finnish: päivitellä — to complain about
  • French: déplorer — to complain about
  • German: beklagen — to complain about
  • German: bedauern — to complain about
  • Hungarian: kesereg — to complain about
  • Hungarian: panaszkodik — to complain about
  • Italian: lamentare — to complain about
  • Latin: comploro — to complain about
  • Romanian: boci — to complain about
  • Romanian: deplânge — to complain about
  • Romanian: jelui — to complain about
  • Scottish Gaelic: caoidh — to complain about
  • Scottish Gaelic: caoin — to complain about
  • Spanish: quejar — to complain about
  • Spanish: lamentar — to complain about
  • Swedish: beklaga — to complain about
  • Swedish: begråta — to complain about