• (British, America) IPA: /bɪˈɹiːv/

bereave (bereaves, present participle bereaving; simple past and past participle bereaved)

1. (transitive) To deprive by or as if by violence; to rob; to strip; to benim.
   • 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]:

     Madam, you have bereft me of all words,

   • 1719, Thomas Tickell, On the Death of Mr. Addison:

     bereft of him who taught me how to sing

2. (transitive, obsolete) To take away by destroying, impairing, or spoiling; take away by violence.
   • 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]:

     All your interest in those territories / Is utterly bereft you; all is lost.

   • 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):

     […] shall move you to bereave my life.

3. (transitive) To deprive of power; prevent.
4. (transitive) To take away someone or something that is important or close; deprive.

   Death bereaved him of his wife.

   The castaways were bereft of hope.

5. (intransitive, rare) To destroy life; cut off.

• reave

• French: arracher
• German: berauben
• Italian: privare
• Portuguese: espoliar
• Russian: отнима́ть
• Spanish: arrebatar, despojar, desposeer, privar