bereavement

noun

be·​reave·​ment bi-ˈrēv-mənt How to pronounce bereavement (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The deal further offers paid vacation, bereavement and sick days, paid holidays and two weeks’ paid paternal leave, among other language. Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2025 Miranda is so full of possibility and adventure and what’s going to come next, and Ada is trying so hard to be that way and to fill the deep well of her sadness and her loneliness and her bereavement with things like the Temperance movement. Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 23 June 2025 Many funeral homes demand that business be done in person, and online services are fragmented and focused on specific aspects of the bereavement process such as purchasing a casket or flowers. Paul Klein, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025 The latter is the killer, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), an otherwise ordinary man: husband, father, respected bereavement therapist. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 1 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bereavement

Word History

Etymology

see bereave

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bereavement was in 1660

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Cite this Entry

“Bereavement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bereavement. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

bereavement

noun
be·​reave·​ment bi-ˈrēv-mənt How to pronounce bereavement (audio)
: the state or fact of being bereaved

More from Merriam-Webster on bereavement

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