Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To deprive or strip someone of a loved one, relative, or valued possession, especially through death. It implies a profound loss that leaves a person in a state of grief or mourning.

Usage

• The verb "bereave" is most commonly used in the passive voice, as "bereaved" (an adjective describing the person who has suffered the loss) or in the past participle form "bereaved/bereft" to describe the state of having been deprived.
• It is a formal and emotionally weighty word, typically reserved for contexts involving death and deep personal loss.

Examples

• Verb (Active Voice):
  • A sudden accident bereaved her of her husband. (It took her husband away from her.)
• Verb (Passive Voice / Past Participle):
  • She was bereaved by the death of her son. (She was deprived of her son by his death.)
  • The war bereaved many families of their fathers. (The war took fathers away from many families.)

Advanced Usage

• "Bereft" as a past participle: While "bereaved" is standard when referring to loss of a person, "bereft" is often used for loss of non-human things or qualities, especially in a figurative sense.
  • He was bereft of all hope. (He was completely deprived of hope.)
  • The room was bereft of furniture. (The room was stripped of furniture.)
• "The bereaved" (noun, plural): Refers to the relatives of a person who has recently died.
  • The priest offered comfort to the bereaved.

Variants and Related Words

• Bereavement (n): The state of being bereaved; the period of mourning after a loss.
  • She needed time to grieve during her bereavement.
• Bereaved (adj): Suffering the loss of a loved one.
  • The bereaved family received many condolences.
• Bereft (adj): Deprived or lacking something, especially a non-material quality.
  • He felt bereft of ideas.

Synonyms

• Deprive: To take something away from.
• Strip: To remove everything from.
• Orphan (verb): Specifically to deprive a child of its parents.

Antonyms

• Endow: To provide or bequeath.
• Bestow: To confer or present.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Bereft of": Completely lacking or without something (often intangible).
  • His speech was bereft of any real substance. (His speech completely lacked any real substance.)

Verb

1. deprive through death