bereave

Inflections of 'bereave' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

be•reave v. [~ + object + of], -reaved or -reft/-ˈrɛft/USA pronunciation -reav•ing.

to take away from and make sad, esp. by death: Illness bereaved them of their mother. She was bereaved of her husband (= Death bereaved her of her husband)
to deprive cruelly:War bereft us of our home.

be•reav•er, n. [countable]

be•reave v.t., -reaved or -reft, -reav•ing.

to deprive and make desolate, esp. by death (usually fol. by of ):Illness bereaved them of their mother.
to deprive ruthlessly or by force (usually fol. by of ):The war bereaved them of their home.
[Obs.]to take away by violence.

bef. 900; Middle English bereven, Old English berēafian; cognate with Dutch berooven, German berauben, Gothic biraubōn. See be-, reave¹

be•reave′ment, n.
be•reav′er, n.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bereave /bɪˈriːv/ vb (transitive)

(usually followed by of) to deprive (of) something or someone valued, esp through death

See also bereftEtymology: Old English bereafian; see reave¹

'bereave' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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