# grief

/ˈɡɹif/ (US) · /ɡɹˈiːf/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/grief
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. deep sadness

noun · CEFR B2

the very strong feeling of sadness you have when someone you love dies.

For teachers: intense emotional suffering caused by loss, particularly the death of a loved one. Uncountable in its general sense, though specific instances may be countable.

- She felt a deep sense of grief after her grandfather passed away last year.
- The community came together to support the family in their grief, offering both emotional comfort and practical assistance during the mourning period.

### 2. trouble or annoyance

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

trouble, problems, or criticism from someone.

For teachers: trouble, annoyance, or verbal harassment. Often used in the idiom 'to give someone grief'.

- My boss gave me a lot of grief for arriving ten minutes late to the meeting.
- He decided to quit the team because he was tired of the constant grief he received from the fans after every loss.

### 3. to harass in a game

verb · CEFR C1 · Slang

to deliberately annoy or ruin the game for other players in an online video game.

For teachers: to deliberately harass other players in a multiplayer online game, typically by using game mechanics to destroy their work or prevent progress.

- Some players enjoy griefing beginners by destroying the houses they spent hours building.
- The server administrator banned the user for griefing, as they had repeatedly sabotaged the collaborative construction project without provocation.

Usage: The verb is transitive and usually describes actions within a virtual environment.

## Examples

- She felt a deep sense of grief after her dog died.
- The community came together to share their collective grief after the local library burned down.
- Psychologists often describe the process of working through grief as a non-linear journey where various emotional stages overlap and recur over time.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.