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)
Synonym Usage
See envy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
begrudgesimple
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begrudgessimple
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have begrudgedperfect
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has begrudgedperfect
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am begrudgingprogressive
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are begrudgingprogressive
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is begrudgingprogressive
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have been begrudgingperfect progressive
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has been begrudgingperfect progressive
Past
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begrudgedsimple
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had begrudgedperfect
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was begrudgingprogressive
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were begrudgingprogressive
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had been begrudgingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
He will have to prove whatever allegations he makes in court — which he has repeatedly appeared to begrudge in recent interviews.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026
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
And who could begrudge the two sisters their happily-ever-after?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Few will begrudge them the chance to add to that while they are in the spotlight.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
The Rose Garden Hotel, while hardly luxurious, is certainly homely and comfortable, and one cannot begrudge the extra expense of accommodating oneself here.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who begrudges her absence from the celebrations; in more than seven decades of service, she has given so much.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2022
No one begrudges healthcare companies’ earning a fair profit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2021
Of course, no one begrudges Ohio State employees a raise if their employer is so painlessly able to afford it.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 3, 2019
No one begrudges the man who walked behind his mother’s coffin a rush of joy at the birth of his first child.
From The Guardian ● May 7, 2019
Looks jest like he begrudges time enough to eat.
From The Jucklins A Novel by Read, Opie Percival
Dogg said he wanted a group of kids who were able to match his character’s begrudged demeanor.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
All of this makes it strange to contemplate Pratt as a case of a man begrudged yet still watched for the same reason: his averageness.
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2022
It’s love, man, and the love is all around the nation from program to program, openly expressed where it used to be repressed if not begrudged.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 10, 2021
Bonds finished his tarnished career with 762, though Aaron never begrudged someone eclipsing his mark.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 22, 2021
In her part of the letter, Grandmother had grumbled a bit about the expense—not that she begrudged us the extra letters, but their budget was a bit tight.
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
The crowd, which greeted Paul with boos before settling into sullen, begrudging applause when prodded, is fully prepared for a distraction.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
But there are also other familiar faces including John C. McGinley as J.D.’s begrudging mentor Dr. Cox and Judy Reyes as nurse Carla, who also happens to be Turk’s wife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
Experts say this genre, dubbed "AI slop" by some critics and begrudging viewers, is taking over social media feeds.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
I want this to be a sort of begrudging connection.’”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
I left the shop wearing a pair of rubber boots so large my sneakers fit inside and so heavy it was difficult to keep up with my begrudging guide.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
