begrudge
Americanverb (used with object)
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begrudges,
present (3rd person singular)
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begrudged,
past participle, past
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begrudging
present participle
-
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
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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
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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
-
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:
"I don't begrudge the people involved for wanting to sell it for such a large amount of money," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
It is difficult to begrudge a restaurant that calculation.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
‘I don’t begrudge them their money’: My husband and I have friends who spend, spend, spend.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
I never begrudge anyone who is a millionaire or billionaire his money—he or she has developed vital products for the masses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
She couldn’t take Brigid on to teach, but how could she begrudge her a chance to start?
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Yet Valentina is quick to say that she hardly begrudges her parents, whom she describes as both hard-working and deeply loving.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2023
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
“We all understand how imperative the men’s basketball tournament is to the structure of the N.C.A.A. — nobody begrudges that, we’re grateful for that,” she added.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2021
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
Lord! ef I'd 'a' bin a-begrudgin' I'd 'a' thes natchally bin e't up wi' begrudges.
From Free Joe and Other Georgian Sketches by Joel Chandler Harris
Absolutely no one would have begrudged Penix for turning pro, especially after four injury-riddled seasons at Indiana before his fully healthy 2022.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2022
Over the years, I never cared for them, though I certainly never begrudged anyone who loved them.
From New York Times ● Jan. 2, 2022
Bonds finished his tarnished career with 762, though Aaron never begrudged someone eclipsing his mark.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 22, 2021
I've never begrudged him this, but I was seriously hurt by his not making an effort to ask before committing.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 13, 2020
She begrudged them the few crumbs of learning she threw at them.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Canada’s history is a pendulum of violent rejection, reluctant acceptance, begrudging condescension and resigned cohabitation with America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
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
Experts say this genre, dubbed "AI slop" by some critics and begrudging viewers, is taking over social media feeds.
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025
What do you think America will witness first: a female president or our begrudging acknowledgment of Britain’s cheekiest pop icon?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2025
A champion of champions who would not eat frankfurters or fries from the hand of a begrudging host.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
