grieve

/ɡriːv/ (bre, ipa) · /ɡriːv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgrēv/ (ame, mw)

grieve — verb

  • grievepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • grieveshe / she / it
  • grievedpast simple
  • grieving-ing form

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

1.動詞不及物B2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • rejoice

    to feel and show great joy, the opposite of grieving

文法句型

grieve + for + [person/loss]

grieve + over + [person/event]

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.動詞及物B2
釋義

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

例句

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]

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • delight

    to make someone feel great pleasure or happiness

  • gladden

    formal; to make someone feel pleased

文法句型

it grieves + [person] + that-clause

[person] is grieved + to-infinitive

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.