bereave

verb

be·​reave bi-ˈrēv How to pronounce bereave (audio)
bē-
bereaved or bereft bi-ˈreft How to pronounce bereave (audio)
bē-
 ; bereaving
Synonyms of bereavenext

transitive verb

1
: to deprive of something
—usually used with of
Madam, you have bereft me of all words …—William Shakespeare
2
: to take away (a valued or necessary possession) especially by force

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of bereave in a Sentence

news of a death in the family bereaved them of the unmitigated joy that normally prevails at a wedding

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bereven, from Old English berēafian, from be- + rēafian to rob — more at reave

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bereave was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bereave

Berean

bereave

bereaved

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Bereave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bereave. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on bereave

Nglish: Translation of bereave for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of bereave for Arabic Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...