grieve

[greev]

verb (used without object)

grieved, grieving 

1. to feel grief or great sorrow.

   She has grieved over his death for nearly three years.

   Synonyms: suffer, bemoan, bewail, weep, lament

verb (used with object)

grieved, grieving 

1. to distress mentally; cause to feel grief or sorrow.

   It grieves me to see you so unhappy.

   Synonyms: pain, sadden

2. Archaic.,  to oppress or wrong.

grieve

¹

/ ɡriːv /

verb

1. to feel or cause to feel great sorrow or distress, esp at the death of someone

2. obsolete,  (tr) to inflict injury, hardship, or sorrow on

grieve

²

/ ɡriːv /

noun

1. a farm manager or overseer

Other Word Forms

• grievedly adverb
• griever noun
• grievingly adverb
• nongrieved adjective
• nongrieving adjective
• overgrieve verb
• ungrieved adjective
• ungrieving adjective
• grieving noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grieve¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English greven, grieven, from Old French grever, from Latin gravāre “to burden,” verb derivative of gravis “heavy”; grave ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of grieve¹

C13: from Old French grever, from Latin gravāre to burden, from gravis heavy

Origin of grieve²

C15: from Old English (Northumbrian) græfa reeve

Synonym Study

Grieve, mourn imply showing suffering caused by sorrow. Grieve is the stronger word, implying deep mental suffering often endured alone and in silence but revealed by one's aspect: to grieve over the loss (or death ) of a friend. Mourn usually refers to manifesting sorrow outwardly, either with or without sincerity: to mourn publicly and wear black.

Example Sentences

While the spouse of a slain hair mogul denied all wrongdoing and publicly grieved her husband — an executive at the hair care company Wella — she was involved in a torrid affair with her racquetball coach.

From Los Angeles Times

Cora dealt with a health scare in “A New Era” while both grieved the death of Violet, whose presence still looms in “The Grand Finale.”

From Los Angeles Times

They grieve who they thought they were in order to become who they truly are.

From Los Angeles Times

Smith seethed in a post to X, daring Kennedy to “go to Annunciation School and tell our grieving community, in effect, guns don’t kill kids, antidepressants do.”

From Salon

The family said that Harper's little sister "adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss".

From BBC

Related Words

• ache 
• cry 
• lament 
• regret 
• wail 
• weep 

When To Use

What does grieve mean?

To grieve is to feel or express intense grief—mental or emotional suffering or distress caused by loss or regret.Grieve often means the same thing as mourn. It’s especially used in the context of someone who is mourning the death of a loved one.However, the word can also be used in the context of other situations involving loss or regret, such as the end of a relationship or the loss of a job.Less commonly, grieve can mean to cause someone to feel grief, as in It grieves me to see you so sad.Grieve should not be confused with bereave, which means to take away and leave devastated. Those who are grieving are those who have been bereaved.Example: After losing someone close, it’s important to take the time to grieve.