grieve

grieve — verb

1. to carry a heavy sadness in your heart for a long time because a loved one has d

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to carry a heavy sadness in your heart for a long time because a loved one has died or another profound loss has occurred

Example

Ezra grieved for his grandmother for months after she passed away.

grieve + for + [person]

The whole school community grieved together after the sudden loss of the principal.

intransitive, expressing collective grief

Common collocations
  • grieve for
  • grieve over
  • still grieving
  • grieve together
  • grieve alone
  • grieve in private
Synonyms
  • mourn

    often implies public or ritual expressions of grief, such as at a funeral

  • lament

    more formal and literary; can imply crying out or wailing

  • sorrow

    archaic or very formal as a verb; today mostly used as a noun

Antonyms
  • rejoice

    to feel and show great joy, the opposite of grieving

Grammar Patterns

grieve + for + [person/loss]

grieve + over + [person/event]

Usage Note

Commonly followed by 'for' (the person lost) or 'over' (the event). Unlike the more public 'mourn', 'grieve' can refer to a private, internal experience of sadness that lasts for a long time.

Common Mistakes

I grieved my grandmother when she died.
I grieved for my grandmother when she died.
In this sense 'grieve' is intransitive; you need 'for' or 'over' before the person or loss.
She grieved the loss quietly.
She grieved over the loss quietly.
Even when the object is a loss (not a person), the preposition 'for' or 'over' is still required.

2. to make someone feel sad, upset, or angry, especially about something unfair or

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make someone feel sad, upset, or angry, especially about something unfair or disappointing

Example

It grieves Eleni deeply that her old friends no longer speak to her.

it grieves + [person] + that-clause

The unfair budget decision grieved Adina more than she wanted to admit.

transitive: [event] grieves [person]

Common collocations
  • it grieves [me/him/her]
  • be grieved by
  • be grieved to hear/see/learn
  • deeply grieved
  • grieved that
Synonyms
  • sadden

    similar meaning but less intense; focuses only on sadness, not anger

  • distress

    emphasises worry and anxiety more than anger

  • pain

    as a verb, less common; suggests emotional hurt

Antonyms
  • delight

    to make someone feel great pleasure or happiness

  • gladden

    formal; to make someone feel pleased

Grammar Patterns

it grieves + [person] + that-clause

[person] is grieved + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Frequently appears in the structure 'it grieves [someone] that...' or '[someone] is grieved to [verb]'. This sense is more formal than sense 1 and is common in written English, especially in news reports and opinion pieces.

Common Mistakes

The news grieved for me.
The news grieved me.
In this sense 'grieve' is transitive; the bad event is the subject, and the person affected is the direct object (no preposition).
I grieved that the park was closed.' (if 'mourn' is intended)
It grieved me that the park was closed.
Use 'it grieves [person] that' to clearly show this is the causative sense.
Idioms

Word family

  • grief
    nounB2
  • grievous
    adjectiveC1
  • grievance
    nounC1
  • grievously
    adverbC1
  • griever
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe experiencing sadness over a loss. 'Grieve' is the most common and natural choice for personal, private sadness that lasts over time — you can grieve alone in your room or with family at a funeral. 'Mourn' adds a social or ritual dimension: people mourn at funerals, wear black clothing, or observe a mourning period. 'Lament' is more literary and formal, often implying loud crying or poetic expression of regret ('the poem laments the loss of youth'). 'Sorrow' as a verb is rare in modern English and sounds very old-fashioned; it is far more common as a noun. For everyday use, choose 'grieve' for internal feeling and 'mourn' for public expression: 'She grieved for years after her son died' focuses on her ongoing sadness, while 'The nation mourned the president's death' describes a collective act.

grieve ↗mournlamentsorrow ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • grieve in silence
  • grieve in one's own way
  • time to grieve

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Old French 'grever' meaning 'to burden, oppress, afflict', which came from Latin 'gravāre' meaning 'to make heavy' (from 'gravis' = heavy). The emotional sense of carrying a heavy weight of sadness developed in Middle English and gradually replaced the older physical meaning of 'burden'.