grieve

verb

ˈgrēv 

grieved; grieving

transitive verb

1

: to cause to suffer : distress

it grieves me to see him this way

2

: to feel or show grief over

grieving the death of her son

3

: to submit a formal grievance concerning

grieve a dismissal

intransitive verb

: to feel grief : sorrow

still grieving over their mother's death

Synonyms

• mourn
• ache
• sorrow

Examples of grieve in a Sentence

It grieves me to see my brother struggling like this.

Her decision to live overseas grieved her mother.

People need time to grieve after the death of a family member.

The children are still grieving the death of their mother.

Recent Examples on the Web

Dogs, the nation's most-popular pet, were also called challenging to raise and grieve. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025

This has led some to publicly chastise the grieving parents for seeking vengeance over justice, a criticism that Kristi addressed in a Facebook post on Thursday, July 3. —Chris Spargo, People.com, 4 July 2025

Still, the grieving family was forced to endure jurisdiction squabbles, legal maneuvering and court delays over the following eight years. —Tim Evans, IndyStar, 2 July 2025

Fear of misinformation and speculation grows That kind of talk has prompted plenty of criticism in online forums and elsewhere from those grieving Henderson, a Marine veteran and father of five. —David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English greven, grieven "to injure, oppress, make angry, agitate, make sorrowful," borrowed from Anglo-French grever, greiver "to be a burden to, harm, afflict" (also continental Old French), going back to Latin gravāre "to make heavy, oppress, weigh heavily upon," derivative of gravis "heavy, oppressive, serious" — more at grave entry 2

Note: The change in vowel from Latin to French follows that of the adjective gref—see the etymology at grief.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for grieve

• breve
• cleave
• cleeve
• cleve
• eave
• eve
• heave
• leave
• lieve
• neve
• reeve
• sheave

Kids Definition

grieve

verb

ˈgrēv 

grieved; grieving

1

: to cause grief or suffering to : distress

2

: to feel or express grief

3

: to submit a formal grievance concerning

griever noun

Etymology

Middle English greven "to distress, grieve," from early French grever (same meaning), from Latin gravare "to burden," from gravis "heavy, serious" — related to aggravate, grave entry 3, gravity

Medical Definition

grieve

verb

ˈgrēv 

grieved; grieving

transitive verb

: to feel or show grief over

grieving the death of her son

intransitive verb

: to feel grief

Each member of a family is likely to grieve differently, creating great potential for conflict.

—Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic Monthly

griever noun

Antidepressants do not ease the longing for the deceased that grievers feel.

—Virginia Hughes, Scientific American

Legal Definition

grieve

verb

grieved; grieving

transitive verb

: to submit (a grievance) to a grievance procedure

wage claims…had been contractually grieved

—M. A. Kelly

intransitive verb

: to bring a grievance under a grievance procedure

as a union member, Jackson was obligated to grieve — not sue

—Jackson v. Liquid Carbonic Corp., 863 F.2d 111 (1988)