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bereave

[ bih-reev ]
/ bɪˈriv /
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See synonyms for: bereave / bereaved / bereft / bereavement on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), be·reaved or be·reft, be·reav·ing.
to deprive and make desolate, especially by death (usually followed by of): Illness bereaved them of their mother.
to deprive ruthlessly or by force (usually followed by of): The war bereaved them of their home.
Obsolete. to take away by violence.
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Origin of bereave

before 900; Middle English bereven,Old English berēafian; cognate with Dutch berooven,German berauben,Gothic biraubōn.See be-, reave1

OTHER WORDS FROM bereave

be·reave·ment, nounbe·reav·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to bereave

dispossess, divest, leave, oust, rob, sadden, strip

British Dictionary definitions for bereave

bereave
/ (bɪˈriːv) /
verb (tr)
(usually foll by of) to deprive (of) something or someone valued, esp through death
obsolete to remove by force
See also bereft

Word Origin for bereave

Old English bereafian; see reave 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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