# grieve

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɡɹiːv/ · frequency rank #18,839

## Definitions
1. To cause sorrow or distress to.
2. To feel very sad about; to mourn; to sorrow for.
3. To experience grief.
4. To harm.
5. To submit or file a grievance (about).

## Etymology
From Middle English greven, from Old French grever (“to burden”), from Latin gravō, gravāre, from adjective gravis (“grave”).
For the meaning development compare Russian тяготи́ть (tjagotítʹ, “to be a burden (on), to oppress”), Russian тужи́ть (tužítʹ, “to experience grief”), related to тяжёлый (tjažólyj, “heavy, grave”), тя́жкий (tjážkij).

## Easily confused with
- **grove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grieve-vs-grove)
- **grime** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grieve-vs-grime)
- **gripe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grieve-vs-gripe)
- **groove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grieve-vs-groove)
- **grille** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grieve-vs-grille)
- **grieved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grieve-vs-grieved)
- **grieves** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grieve-vs-grieves)
- **give** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/give-vs-grieve)
- **grave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grave-vs-grieve)
- **grief** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grief-vs-grieve)
- **Greece** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/greece-vs-grieve)
- **Greene** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/greene-vs-grieve)
- **Graeme** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/graeme-vs-grieve)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ggrieve`, `gireve`, `greive`, `grieev`, `grievve`, `grivee`, `grrieve`, `rgieve`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/grieve