grieve

verb

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As officials announced more remains were found, the woman’s grieving family told The Press and Journal that police called to alert them about the latest discovery. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025 Sis, the grieving cat in the clip, was already part of the family and is actually about a year older than Mama. Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025 The grieving mother blames a lack of medical care for her child’s death – although the medical team which treated her told CNN that there was no link between her death and the funding cuts. Rebecca Wright, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025 Toni Collette stars as Annie, a miniaturist grieving the death of her mother and whose family is subsequently haunted by a demonic presence. Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for grieve

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of grieve was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Grieve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grieve. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

grieve

verb
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
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 grievedM. A. Kelly

intransitive verb

: to bring a grievance under a grievance procedure
as a union member, Jackson was obligated to grieve — not sueJackson v. Liquid Carbonic Corp., 863 F.2d 111 (1988)

More from Merriam-Webster on grieve

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