grieve

verb

grieved; grieving

transitive verb

1
: to cause to suffer : distress
it grieves me to see him this way
2
: to feel or show grief over
grieving the death of her son
3
: to submit a formal grievance concerning
grieve a dismissal

intransitive verb

: to feel grief : sorrow
still grieving over their mother's death

Examples of grieve in a Sentence

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thankfully, Soccer Mommy’s devoted fans are giving Allison space to grieve. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024 Alba Jaramillo, a local organizer for Derechos Humanos, said the event not only grieves those who have died crossing the Sonoran Desert but calls attention to policies that activists say have exacerbated the problem. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024 That Explores Female Desire The show, which airs Fridays at 10pm ET, follows three women on a crash course to radically overturn their lives, each recounted through Gia, a writer grieving the loss of her family. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2024 While visiting her son's memorial on a cliff in the woods, the grieving mother plans to kill herself until a man by the name of Richard (Finn Wittrock) talks her off the ledge. Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for grieve 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English greven, grieven "to injure, oppress, make angry, agitate, make sorrowful," borrowed from Anglo-French grever, greiver "to be a burden to, harm, afflict" (also continental Old French), going back to Latin gravāre "to make heavy, oppress, weigh heavily upon," derivative of gravis "heavy, oppressive, serious" — more at grave entry 2

Note: The change in vowel from Latin to French follows that of the adjective gref—see the etymology at grief.

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

Dictionary Entries Near grieve

Cite this Entry

“Grieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grieve. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

grieve

verb
grieved; grieving
1
: to cause grief or suffering to : distress
2
: to feel or express grief
3
: to submit a formal grievance concerning
griever noun
Etymology

Middle English greven "to distress, grieve," from early French grever (same meaning), from Latin gravare "to burden," from gravis "heavy, serious" — related to aggravate, grave entry 3, gravity

Medical Definition

grieve

verb
grieved; grieving

transitive verb

: to feel or show grief over
grieving the death of her son

intransitive verb

: to feel grief
Each member of a family is likely to grieve differently, creating great potential for conflict.Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic Monthly
griever noun
Antidepressants do not ease the longing for the deceased that grievers feel. Virginia Hughes, Scientific American

Legal Definition

grieve

verb
grieved; grieving

transitive verb

: to submit (a grievance) to a grievance procedure
wage claims…had been contractually grievedM. A. Kelly

intransitive verb

: to bring a grievance under a grievance procedure
as a union member, Jackson was obligated to grieve — not sueJackson v. Liquid Carbonic Corp., 863 F.2d 111 (1988)

More from Merriam-Webster on grieve

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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