From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgriefgrief /ɡriːf/ ●●○ noun 1 [uncountable]SAD/UNHAPPY extreme sadness, especially because someone you love has diedgrief over/at The grief she felt over Helen’s death was almost unbearable.with grief Charles was overcome with grief.2 [countable]SAD/UNHAPPY something that makes you feel extremely sad Every change in our lives brings with it griefs.3 → good grief!4 → come to grief5 → give somebody grief6 [uncountable] informal trouble or problems You’ll save yourself a lot of grief if you check the measurements first.
Examples from the Corpus
grief• This will only bring about grief for what do we really know about ourselves or some one else?• The oil caused enough grief in Scapa Flow at the time.• She'd thought it was Anna, snuffling in her sleep or from grief.• We didn't say much, but his grief was obvious.• Whatever pangs of grief and guilt and shame Emilia might suffer had remained locked inside her, an unapproachable wound.• Tomorrow, he decided, he must press her to a full disclosure of the grief harboured in her heart.• It is his own mind's way of coping with the grief, and he knows it.• Thousands of people sent floral tributes as an expression of their grief.• When my child died I might have given way to grief as I loved him very much.• All the boy knew in that circumstance was grief and worry and surprise and rage.• He was overcome with grief when his wife died.grief over/at• Acute grief at the death of one parent may inhibit a family for caring for the surviving spouse.• He neither showed nor expressed any grief at this regrettable development.• And if you gave them any grief at all, they said they would just kick her out.• Her grief at his death was deep and sincere.• Let's consider multiple grief over time first.• Has there been an outpouring of grief at the horrific way they died?• This is often far from the case and many a combination has come to grief at the very last fence.Origin grief (1200-1300) Old French gref, from Latin gravis; → GRAVE1 