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
Salamanca suggested other forms of deadly incidents, like stabbings or illness, could be added to the bill as additional reasons for mandatory bereavement.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
The mom of two said she's been relying on her bereavement nurse to help her through this difficult time and took a vacation with her partner and kids to get some space from the situation.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Ending that bond can be surprisingly painful, like a breakup or even a bereavement, says Vasan.
—Robert Hart, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
The frame snugly encases the family in ways that recall the bereavement scenes in On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, and like Shula, the protagonist of Rungano Nyoni’s haunting Zambian drama, Anand is forced to alter the shape of his grief to fit the contours of cultural obligations.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bereavement
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Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2025
The mom of two said she's been relying on her bereavement nurse to help her through this difficult time and took a vacation with her partner and kids to get some space from the situation.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Ending that bond can be surprisingly painful, like a breakup or even a bereavement, says Vasan.
—Robert Hart, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
The frame snugly encases the family in ways that recall the bereavement scenes in On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, and like Shula, the protagonist of Rungano Nyoni’s haunting Zambian drama, Anand is forced to alter the shape of his grief to fit the contours of cultural obligations.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 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 30 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bereavement
noun
be·reave·ment
bi-ˈrēv-mənt
: the state or fact of being bereaved
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