dirge

Its internal speaker plays a rumbling soundtrack that sends the drumsticks attached to the instrument flittering, giving the sense of a ghostly presence tapping out a brooding dirge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Needle drops of Celtic folksongs and poems set to music give the impression that every Irish dirge yearns to get as morbid as “Nearer, My God, to Thee.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Instead, they foundered in the breeze, squeezing out whatever bitter juice was left in a dirge that would prove to drag on for at least another week.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

It might be time to pause the funeral dirge for software and services stocks.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

I heard Ira begin to sing a low dirge; she was rocking gently back and forth, and she was crying.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Anchored on a near-orchestral soundstage, its 20 tracks ricochet from in-your-face punk dissonance to majestic broken-heart dirges, a lovely duet with St. Vincent, rootsy folk interludes and farfisa-rich lounge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

A complementary contrast was Lenny Kravitz performing "Calling All Angels" during the In Memoriam segment, lending it an air of sweet remembrance as opposed to dirges of yesteryear.

From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2023

Orthodox Christian priests led a vigil in Brovary on Thursday, chanting dirges and burning incense as residents placed flowers and cuddly toys at a makeshift memorial near the nursery.

From Reuters ● Jan. 19, 2023

As the cortege passed through Horse Guards Parade, the crowds began applauding, their joyful expressions of affection contrasting with the funeral dirges being played by the queen’s band.

From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2022

At first she played “Yori Yori” and “Obi Mu O” endlessly and then she stopped, because the songs brought to her memories a finality, as though they were dirges.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie