Definition of "bereave"

bereave

/bɪˈɹiːv/

verb
third-person singular simple present bereaves, present participle bereaving, simple past and past participle bereaved or bereft
1. (transitive) To deprive by or as if by violence; to rob; to strip; to benim.
  Quotations
  Madam, you have bereft me of all words,
  c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene ii]
  bereft of him who taught me how to sing
  1719, Thomas Tickell, On the Death of Mr. Addison
2. (transitive, obsolete) To take away by destroying, impairing, or spoiling; take away by violence.
  Quotations
  All your interest in those territories / Is utterly bereft you; all is lost.
  1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene i]
  […] shall move you to bereave my life.
  c. 1589–1590, Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Ievv of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals)
3. (transitive) To deprive of power; prevent.
4. (transitive) To take away someone or something that is important or close; deprive.
5. (intransitive, rare) To destroy life; cut off.

Definition of "bereave"

bereave

verb

Quotations

Quotations