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; be-, grudge
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
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
Partnered people begrudge the pressure; single people resent the condescension.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025
He’s the only one on this ship who doesn’t seem to begrudge my existence.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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.
