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

1

: to feel grief : sorrow

still grieving over their mother's death

2

: to bring a grievance

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

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

Synonyms of grieve

• 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

The creative documentary filmmaker, a former Berkeley resident, culls together photos, home movies, songs and more to relate writer Andri Snær Magnason’s grieving process over the loss of relatives and a once-majestic glacier that is no more due to climate change. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026

In The Rip, Damon’s character, who is loosely based on Casiano, is grieving the loss of his 10-year-old son, Jake, to cancer. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

In the song, love is as intimate as a boy and a girl talking, as moving as a woman grieving for her son, as transformative as the life of Christ. —Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026

After a devastating fire reduced a Scottish church to rubble, an unexpected discovery was made beneath the ruins — uniting a grieving congregation. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Jan. 2026

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)