Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To express sympathy or sorrow.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To speak sympathetically to one in pain, grief, or misfortune; use expressions of pity or compassion: followed by with before the person, and by on, for, or over before the subject of condolence.
  • To commiserate personally; address words of sympathy to, on account of distress or misfortune.
  • To lament or grieve over with another; express sympathy on account of; lament.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To express sympathetic sorrow; to grieve in sympathy; -- followed by with.
  • transitive verb rare To lament or grieve over.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To grieve.
  • verb To express sympathetic sorrow, to lament.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb express one's sympathetic grief, on the occasion of someone's death

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Late Latin condolēre, to feel another's pain : Latin com-, com- + Latin dolēre, to grieve.]

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Examples

  • The word "condole" made me strong; for now I do not think I am suffering at all.

    The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus of Avila Teresa 1548

  • Let me condole the believed family, however history will remember Bongo as a man who ruined his own country and ruled with an Iron hand.

    Global Voices in English » Gabon: On President Omar Bongo’s death 2009

  • If Lovelace offered any further sympathies about the death of Elizabeth, they surely echoed those he had already sent: “I heartily condole with you the loss of your excellent lady; but we must all stoop to Fate.”

    The King's Best Highway Eric Jaffe 2010

  • Only this, the most pressing business imaginable, could have prevented our presence at so sad an occasion to condole with you and Miss Gowan.

    The Dressmaker Posie Graeme-Evans 2010

  • If Lovelace offered any further sympathies about the death of Elizabeth, they surely echoed those he had already sent: “I heartily condole with you the loss of your excellent lady; but we must all stoop to Fate.”

    The King's Best Highway Eric Jaffe 2010

  • When we went to Nagaa Hammady we were not rioting or calling for riot as they falsely accused us; the purpose of our visit was to condole our fellow Copts and to strengthen the same national unity that they claimed that we were damaging.

    Egypt: The Right to Speak Up 2010

  • If Lovelace offered any further sympathies about the death of Elizabeth, they surely echoed those he had already sent: “I heartily condole with you the loss of your excellent lady; but we must all stoop to Fate.”

    The King's Best Highway Eric Jaffe 2010

  • I was so proud that Hillary, Bill, and Chelsea spent time and money to go Wyoming to condole with all these oppressed people and to reassure them that help is soon on the way.

    Obama Wins Wyoming, Networks Say 2009

  • 'Roots In Kashmir' condole the death of Shri Kuldeep Wali and pray to God almighty may his soul rest in peace and for strength, courage and solace to the family to bear the irreparable loss.

    Indian meteorologist Kuldeep Wali with 'India Meteorological Department' died at Antarctica 2009

  • Indian Research Base, Maitri Antarctica and at National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research, Goa condole the death of Shri Kuldeep Wali and pray to God almighty may his soul rests in peace and for strength, courage and solace to the family to bear the irreparable loss.

    Indian meteorologist Kuldeep Wali with 'India Meteorological Department' died at Antarctica 2009

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