begrudge
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
verb
-
to give, admit, or allow unwillingly or with a bad grace
-
to envy (someone) the possession of (something)
Related Words
See envy.
Other Word Forms
- begrudgingly adverb
- unbegrudged adjective
Etymology
Origin of begrudge
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bigrucchen; see be-, grudge
Explanation
To begrudge someone for something is to wish them ill for it or to envy them. Try not to begrudge his getting the promotion over you — he's been at the company longer. An understudy might begrudge the lead her role and even go so far as to put glass in her shoes so she can't perform. An easy way to remember the meaning of this verb is to note the noun grudge lurking inside it. A grudge is ill will that you hold toward someone: to begrudge is to hold that grudge. If you begrudge your friend his happiness because he got the nicer car, your friendship will suffer.
Vocabulary lists containing begrudge
Grade 9, List 6
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The Witch of Blackbird Pond
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This Week in Words : January 19 - 25, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No one — not your brother, who relies on you, nor your parents, who are long gone — should or, I hope, would begrudge you the time for your own passions and pursuits.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026
Newsom wrote that his mother seemed to begrudge the excursions when her children returned home.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026
And who could begrudge the two sisters their happily-ever-after?
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
The cops last night were like, “We don’t begrudge you for saying ‘manifesto.’
From Slate • Jun. 17, 2025
Not that I begrudge my life in books.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
