bereave

[bih-reev]

verb (used with object)

bereaved, bereft, bereaving. 

1. to deprive and make desolate, especially by death (usually followed byof ).

   Illness bereaved them of their mother.

2. to deprive ruthlessly or by force (usually followed byof ).

   The war bereaved them of their home.

3. Obsolete.,  to take away by violence.

bereave

/ bɪˈriːv /

verb

1. (usually foll by of) to deprive (of) something or someone valued, esp through death

2. obsolete,  to remove by force

Other Word Forms

• bereavement noun
• bereaver noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bereave¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English bereven, Old English berēafian; cognate with Dutch berooven, German berauben, Gothic biraubōn; equivalent to be- + reave ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bereave¹

Old English bereafian ; see _reave ¹

Example Sentences

It was claimed that the duchess later fell out with Wimbledon authorities over her attempt to bring the 12-year-old son of a bereaved friend into the Royal Box.

From BBC

In a special ceremony held on Friday Kim was seen comforting bereaved families and presenting them portraits of their dead loved ones wrapped in the North Korean flag.

From BBC

Funeral director George Roberts, from SAIF, said bereaved families deserved a professional service and needed to know they were in "safe hands".

From BBC

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa conveyed his "deepest sympathies" to the bereaved family of the firefighter killed in an accident on Sunday.

From BBC

Kenya's Ministry of Health made a call for an "urgent blood drive" to help survivors and extended its "condolences to the bereaved".

From BBC

Related Words

• dispossess 

When To Use

What does bereave mean?

To bereave means to take away and leave devastated. Death bereaves us of our loved ones.Bereave can also mean to deprive by force, as in War has bereaved them of their homes. Those who are devastated by the loss of loved ones can be described as bereaved or bereft. These words can also apply to those who have suffered other serious losses.Bereave is most often used in the context of death. The noun form of bereave is bereavement, referring to a period of mourning or or state of intense grief, especially following the death of a loved one. Bereavement can also be used more generally to mean the state of having lost something very dear.Example: Violence has bereaved us of yet another young person.