Definition of BEREAVE

bereave

Verb

Verb Forms: bereaved, bereft, bereaving, bereaves

  • To deprive someone of something, especially a loved one.
  • deprive through death
  • To deprive by or as if by violence; to rob; to strip.
  • To take away by destroying, impairing, or spoiling; take away by violence.
  • To deprive of power; prevent.
  • To take away someone or something that is important or close; deprive.
  • To destroy life; cut off.

Examples

  • A clever block can bereave your opponent of their best scoring opportunities.
  • Death bereaved him of his wife.
  • The castaways were bereft of hope.
  • The family has been recently bereaved.

Origin / Etymology

Inherited from Middle English bireven, from Old English berēafian (“to bereave, deprive of, take away, seize, rob, despoil”), from Proto-Germanic *biraubōną, and Old English berēofan (“to bereave, deprive, rob of”); both equivalent to be- + reave. Cognate with Dutch beroven (“to rob, deprive, bereave”), German berauben (“to deprive, rob, bereave”), Danish berøve (“to deprive of”), Norwegian berøve (“to deprive”), Swedish beröva (“to rob”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌱𐍉𐌽 (biraubōn).

Scrabble Score: 12

bereave: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
bereave: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
bereave: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

bereave: valid Words With Friends Word