grieve

verb

ˈgrēv

grieved; grieving

transitive verb

: to cause to suffer : distress

it grieves me to see him this way

: to feel or show grief over

grieving the death of her son

: to submit a formal grievance concerning

grieve a dismissal

intransitive verb

: to feel grief : sorrow

still grieving over their mother's death

Example Sentences

It grieves me to see my brother struggling like this. Her decision to live overseas grieved her mother. People need time to grieve after the death of a family member. The children are still grieving the death of their mother.

Recent Examples on the Web In Dagestan, family members of the deceased meet at regular intervals to grieve.

Time, 23 Nov. 2022 Community leaders grieve Bars and clubs in Phoenix that often host LGBTQ and drag show events, like Stacy at Melrose and Boycott Bar, resumed service on Sunday.

Ellie Willard, The Arizona Republic, 21 Nov. 2022 The clock ticks and the camera races, but for all the tension there’s predictably zero suspense: T’Challa is soon dead, leaving the princess and the queen mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), to grieve with their subjects.

Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2022 The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is investigating McKenna's death while her parents grieve.

Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 18 Aug. 2022 As the second Elizabethan Age came to a close, throngs of people arrived all day to grieve together and lay flowers outside the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal residences.

Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2022 Backyard Renaissance Theatre presents a 35th anniversary production of Robert Harling’s play about six strong Southern women who argue, gossip, celebrate and grieve together at a Louisiana beauty salon.

San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 Three mothers had to bury their children in the subsequent days, and an entire community was left to grieve.

Michela Moscufo, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2022 The film, which opens Friday in Washington, grants viewers a fuller understanding of the woman who made a choice to grieve with the world, inspiring action for decades to come.

Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grieve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English greven, from Anglo-French grever, from Latin gravare to burden, from gravis heavy, grave; akin to Greek barys heavy, Sanskrit guru

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of grieve was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century