bereavement

noun

be·​reave·​ment bi-ˈrēv-mənt 

bē-

: the state or fact of being bereaved or deprived of something or someone

Examples of bereavement in a Sentence

The following May, my wife and I flew to London for my father's funeral. Pam, determined to wrangle us an upgrade to business class on the strength of my bereavement, gave the British Airways ticketing clerk two passports and a sob story. —John Haney, Gourmet, January 2003

In the sections of her book that should prove an enduring contribution to the literature of grief, Ms. Gilbert recounts her free fall into widowhood, starting with that modern rite of bereavement, the erasing of the answering-machine message. —James S. Kunen, New York Times Book Review, 19 Mar. 1995

In any case, sadness and loss of interest and drive during periods of bereavement are expected and normal. If Mozart had not been upset by his parents' deaths, his wife's illnesses, and his separations from her, he would be less than human. —William A. Frosch, Musical Quarterly, 1990

a period of grief after bereavement

people who have recently suffered bereavements

Recent Examples on the Web

In other moves, pitcher Tarik Skubal was reinstated from the bereavement list. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

More recently, British Columbia has started shifting from offering an emergency response to supporting long-term recovery, including establishing a long-term grief-and-bereavement working group. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026

To Diana, who has taken over First Desk at the Park after last season’s events, River’s refusal to take bereavement leave gives her license to speak about his grandfather’s funeral arrangements with her usual cool formality. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

The role of counseling in older adulthood is broader than addressing illness, loss and bereavement. — Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see bereave

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bereavement

• achievement
• underachievement

Kids Definition

bereavement

noun

be·​reave·​ment bi-ˈrēv-mənt 

: the state or fact of being bereaved