- [uncountable, countable] a very sad feeling, especially when somebody dies
- She was overcome with grief when her husband died.
- They were able to share their common joys and griefs.
- grief for somebody/something her grief for her dead husband
- grief over something grief over the loss of friends
- grief at something He could not hide his grief at her death.
Extra Examples- He feels that he can't share his grief with anyone.
- Her parents were stricken with grief.
- I felt awkward at intruding on their private grief.
- She understood my grief because she too had lost a child.
- They are still struggling to come to terms with their grief.
- grief over the loss of a friend's life
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- deep
- great
- inconsolable
- …
- be consumed by
- be consumed with
- be overcome by
- …
- counselling/counseling
- counsellor/counselor
- process
- …
- grief at
- grief for
- grief over
- …
- a feeling of grief
- a sense of grief
- [countable, usually singular] something that makes you feel very sad
- It was a grief to them that they had no children.
- [uncountable] (informal) problems and worry
- He caused his parents a lot of grief.
- Such behaviour can cause considerable grief.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French grief, from grever ‘to burden’, based on Latin gravare, from gravis ‘heavy, grave’.
Idioms
See grief in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee grief in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishcome to grief (informal)
- to end in total failure
- All his schemes for making money seem to come to grief.
- to be harmed in an accident
- Several pedestrians came to grief on the icy pavement.
give somebody grief (about/over something)
- (informal) to be annoyed with somebody and criticize their behaviour
good grief!
- (informal) used to express surprise or shock
- Good grief! What a mess!
Check pronunciation:
grief