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

At the time, Sampson and his family were grieving the recent loss of their beloved dog, Caddie, who inspired another one of his books, Caddie the Golf Dog. —Clea Haran, Parents, 7 Aug. 2025

As dozens of agencies scour the dense forests and mountains that bookend the town, residents are privately grieving the tragedy at a bar that holds a special place in their hearts – and the history of the region. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025

In the new film, Neeson plays the stoic but blunder-prone Frank Drebin Jr., the grieving son of Leslie Nielsen’s deadpan, bumbling police-squad lieutenant Frank Drebin from the three cultishly popular original Gun films. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2025

For a good portion of the story, Rye is alone—grieving, disillusioned, cautious. —Aaron Boehmer august 4, Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 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)