griefs

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of grief.

   The memoir gives voice to the private griefs of an entire generation.

   Her many griefs over the years had quietly reshaped her outlook on life.

   Note

   The plural only works where grief can be counted: separate sorrows, or the separate troubles that cause them. The King James Bible of 1611 sets it beside its near-twin, "he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows," and that pairing shows the form at home. For the feeling in general, keep the singular. Griefs points to particular losses or trials, taken one by one.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of grief.

   He griefs newer members of the game by trapping their characters in corners.

   Whenever a rival logs in, she griefs them until they quit the match.

   Note

   A gamer's verb, spelled exactly like the plural noun but living in a different world. To grief someone is to spoil their play on purpose, through vandalism or by exploiting the game's own rules rather than cheating. It takes the targeted players as its direct object (she griefs newcomers) and belongs to online gaming talk, not to the language of mourning.

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