Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to bereave
Participle: bereaved
Gerund: bereaving
Indicative
Present
| I | bereave |
| you | bereave |
| he;she;it | bereaves |
| we | bereave |
| you | bereave |
| they | bereave |
Perfect
| I | have bereaved; bereft |
| you | have bereaved; bereft |
| he;she;it | has bereaved; bereft |
| we | have bereaved; bereft |
| you | have bereaved; bereft |
| they | have bereaved; bereft |
Past
| I | bereaved |
| you | bereaved |
| he;she;it | bereaved |
| we | bereaved |
| you | bereaved |
| they | bereaved |
Pluperfect
| I | had bereaved; bereft |
| you | had bereaved; bereft |
| he;she;it | had bereaved; bereft |
| we | had bereaved; bereft |
| you | had bereaved; bereft |
| they | had bereaved; bereft |
Future
| I | will bereave |
| you | will bereave |
| he;she;it | will bereave |
| we | will bereave |
| you | will bereave |
| they | will bereave |
Future Perfect
| I | will have bereaved; bereft |
| you | will have bereaved; bereft |
| he;she;it | will have bereaved; bereft |
| we | will have bereaved; bereft |
| you | will have bereaved; bereft |
| they | will have bereaved; bereft |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | bereave |
| you | bereave |
| he;she;it | bereave |
| we | bereave |
| you | bereave |
| they | bereave |
Perfect
| I | have bereaved; bereft |
| you | have bereaved; bereft |
| he;she;it | have bereaved; bereft |
| we | have bereaved; bereft |
| you | have bereaved; bereft |
| they | have bereaved; bereft |
Imperfect
| I | bereaved |
| you | bereaved |
| he;she;it | bereaved |
| we | bereaved |
| you | bereaved |
| they | bereaved |
Pluperfect
| I | had bereaved; bereft |
| you | had bereaved; bereft |
| he;she;it | had bereaved; bereft |
| we | had bereaved; bereft |
| you | had bereaved; bereft |
| they | had bereaved; bereft |
Conditional
Present
| I | would bereave |
| you | would bereave |
| he;she;it | would bereave |
| we | would bereave |
| you | would bereave |
| they | would bereave |
Perfect
| I | would have bereaved; bereft |
| you | would have bereaved; bereft |
| he;she;it | would have bereaved; bereft |
| we | would have bereaved; bereft |
| you | would have bereaved; bereft |
| they | would have bereaved; bereft |
Imperative
| you | bereave |
| we | Let's bereave |
| you | bereave |
Verbs similar to 'bereave'
beleave,
becrave,
begrave,
begrease,
behave,
beknave,
belave,
berate,
beread,
berede,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- to worry excessively
- agonize, fret, lament, torture
- deny
- deprive, despoil, disinherit, lose, disallow, oust, dispossess
Antonyms
- deny
- accept, admit, affirm, acknowledge
Additional Information
Cf. Old English (be)rēafian.
Phrasal Verbs
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). See: Middle English '
bireven', Middle English '
bireven', Proto-Germanic '
*biraubōną', Dutch '
beroven', German, old spelling '
berauben', Danish '
berøve', Swedish '
beröva'.
Verbs referencing "bereave"
Old Saxon
birovon, German, old spelling
berauben, Swedish
beröva, Danish
berøve.
Sample Sentences
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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, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:]
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bereft of him who taught me how to sing [1719, Thomas Tickell, On the Death of Mr. Addison:]
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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, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:]
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[…] shall move you to bereave my life. [c. 1589–1590 (date written), Christopher Marlo[we], edited by Tho[mas] Heywood, The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Iew of Malta. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Nicholas Vavasour, […], published 1633, →OCLC, (please specify the page):]
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Death bereaved him of his wife.
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The family has been recently bereaved.
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The castaways were bereft of hope.