grieve
Americanverb (used without object)
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grieves,
present (3rd person singular)
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grieved,
past participle, past
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grieving
present participle
verb
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to feel or cause to feel great sorrow or distress, esp at the death of someone
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obsolete (tr) to inflict injury, hardship, or sorrow on
noun
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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grievernoun
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grievingnoun
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overgrieveverb
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nongrievedadjective
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nongrievingadjective
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ungrievedadjective
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ungrievingadjective
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grievedlyadverb
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grievinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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grievesimple
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grievessimple
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have grievedperfect
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has grievedperfect
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am grievingprogressive
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are grievingprogressive
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is grievingprogressive
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have been grievingperfect progressive
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has been grievingperfect progressive
Past
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grievedsimple
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had grievedperfect
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was grievingprogressive
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were grievingprogressive
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had been grievingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of grieve
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English greven, grieven, from Old French grever, from Latin gravāre “to burden,” verb derivative of gravis “heavy”; see grave 2
Explanation
To grieve is to feel sorrow over something, especially people who have died. The most common use of grieve has to do with death: usually there are grieving family members and grieving friends, feeling sadness over the loss of a loved one. You can also grieve over a pet who died, a job you didn't get, or a favorite pair of shoes that were ruined. Usually there's some kind of loss involved, but as long as you feel extremely sad about something that's happened, you're grieving.
Vocabulary lists containing grieve
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
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Good Grief!: Grav, Griev
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Bush's Address on 9/11
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"The boy's family will need time to grieve this unimaginable loss, so please respect their privacy."
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
At this time, we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
But permit me, as a lifelong MMA fan, to grieve a bit for my favorite sport: the only one I’ve ever truly loved.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2026
"We don't want other families to have to grieve their children."
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Maybe I can help us grieve in a different way.
From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy
"Seattle grieves with you, and we will stand with you in the difficult days ahead."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“We are a first-world country, and speaking as a physician that knows this can be prevented, it grieves me,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Alma — who receives minimal attention from her author — marries a bighearted chicken farmer named Izzy, and later grieves the early loss of her husband, and the absence of children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025
As time passes, she is trying to build a new life, learn a new language and find bits of work here and there - but she still grieves her lost home in Vuhledar.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2024
Who is the Day that grieves so deeply for his mother?
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
He has also grieved his mother Florence who died in December, speaking at her funeral in Nigeria and, by arrangement with the national team, joined up late with his team-mates before the Six Nations.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
He also grieved for the moments he would not be able to share with his parents in the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
At the First Baptist Church, he said, the Eastlands were trying to be respectful as people grieved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Jefferson grieved deeply over the loss of his wife, the death in childhood of four of their six children, and the later loss of a daughter at only 25.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
I grieved their losses with them and celebrated when their kids hit significant milestones.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
The “Ocean’s 8” star described Randall’s diagnosis as “traumatic” and that she had started grieving him four years before his death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
"We've also spoken with the party involved. He understands, but of course, he's also grieving because he also lost his child," Bendijo added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
You may already be grieving the possibility of loss while your brother is still here and while you are actively helping him through his exhaustive cancer treatment.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
She added her new dog had helped her through the grieving process.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
But I know she was grieving and doesn’t feel that way now.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
