noun
gloom
gloom
noun
1
Near-darkness or dim, murky light.
"The old warehouse was shrouded in gloom."
2
A feeling or atmosphere of sadness and hopelessness.
"A sense of gloom settled over the office after the layoffs were announced."
verb
1
To look or feel sad and downcast.
"He gloomed over his failed exam for days."
How to Use Gloom
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDarkness, or a depressing, downbeat mood.
Common pairings
a sense of gloom
doom and gloom
plunged into gloom
Word Forms
gloomed past tense, glooms plural, glooms singular
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The old warehouse was shrouded in _____.
Etymology
From an Old English word for twilight or darkness, related to a Germanic root meaning "to gleam or shimmer" — the same distant family as "glow."