bereavement
noun
be·reave·ment
bi-ˈrēv-mənt 
bē-
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
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
But even apart from recent budget cuts, there is a notable absence of national policies that reflect what loss actually looks like: expanded bereavement leave, sustained mental health funding, and public acknowledgment of collective trauma.
—Rebecca Soffer, Time, 10 May 2025
Most companies aren’t equipped to handle grief and loss in the workplace, as is evidenced by the standard bereavement leave being only about three to five days.
—Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
But still, friends rarely get bereavement leave, our relationships aren’t often given space on a tombstone epitaph, and there are few books, support groups, or films about the loss of friends.
—Raquel Reichard, refinery29.com, 13 Mar. 2025
While the politics of health and care do not always map onto war and its metaphors, public health is messy when new and virulent diseases take over a country in bereavement.
—Edna Bonhomme, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereavement
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Rebecca Soffer, Time, 10 May 2025
Most companies aren’t equipped to handle grief and loss in the workplace, as is evidenced by the standard bereavement leave being only about three to five days.
—Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
But still, friends rarely get bereavement leave, our relationships aren’t often given space on a tombstone epitaph, and there are few books, support groups, or films about the loss of friends.
—Raquel Reichard, refinery29.com, 13 Mar. 2025
While the politics of health and care do not always map onto war and its metaphors, public health is messy when new and virulent diseases take over a country in bereavement.
—Edna Bonhomme, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereavement
Cite this Entry
“Bereavement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bereavement. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bereavement
noun
be·reave·ment
bi-ˈrēv-mənt
: the state or fact of being bereaved
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