begrudge

[bih-gruhj]

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verb (used with object), be·grudged, be·grudg·ing.

to envy or resent the pleasure or good fortune of (someone): She begrudged her friend the award.
to be reluctant to give, grant, or allow: She did not begrudge the money spent on her children's education.

Origin of begrudge

First recorded in 1350–1400, begrudge is from the Middle English word bigrucchen. See be-, grudge

Related formsbe·grudg·ing·ly, adverbun·be·grudged, adjective

Can be confusedbegrudge regret resent (see synonym study at regret)

Synonyms for begrudge

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1. See envy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for begrudge

envy, stint, pinch, covet, grudge, resent

Examples from the Web for begrudge

Contemporary Examples of begrudge

Abortion-rights advocates by no means seek to detract from LGBT movement or begrudge it victories.
Why Does Spain Love Gay Marriage But Hate Abortion?
Emily Shire
March 7, 2014
I do not begrudge the journalist for pursuing the unvarnished truth, irrespective of political consequences.
In Defense of Israel Advocacy
David Bernstein
July 9, 2012
No one seems to begrudge Apple executives making millions, yet those rewards at the top are just as disproportionate.
More Mania in the Markets
Zachary Karabell
October 28, 2011
We can begrudge the new superpower, like we did in generations past with another Communist regime.
China's Economic Takeover: The World's Next Superpower by 2016
Paul Kix
April 30, 2011
Most recently, he said he did not “begrudge” Wall Streeters their big earnings because that was part of the market system.
Replace Rahm
Leslie H. Gelb
February 15, 2010

Historical Examples of begrudge

We must not envy him on account of them, nor begrudge them to him, nor wish that we had them in his stead.
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
And yet you begrudge him the little that would start him in life.
The Manxman
Hall Caine
Let sisters not begrudge the time and care bestowed on a brother.
The Wedding Ring
T. De Witt Talmage
Ah, why begrudge the marquis his meed of admiration, if he likes it?
The Rose of Old St. Louis
Mary Dillon
"Surely he cannot begrudge us the income," she had once said to her eldest daughter.
The Bertrams
Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for begrudge

begrudge

verb (tr)

to give, admit, or allow unwillingly or with a bad grace
to envy (someone) the possession of (something)

Derived Formsbegrudgingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for begrudge

mid-14c., from be- + Middle English grucchen "to murmur" (see grudge). Related: Begrudged; begrudging; begrudgingly.