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
-
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
-
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:
It is difficult to begrudge a restaurant that calculation.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Related: ‘I don’t begrudge them their money’: My husband and I have friends who spend, spend, spend.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
Nobody should begrudge a fighter for accepting a life-changing world-title shot, but bypassing the traditional British, Commonwealth and European route removes learning fights.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 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
“But it would be churlish to begrudge Basil’s requests. After all, he did recapture our tapestry from Cluny. It was a very daring deed.”
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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
She has, indeed," responded Grace, "and no one begrudges her her glory.
From Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High School The Record of the Girl Chums in Work and Athletics by Jessie Graham [pseud.] Flower
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
It’s dark now and you’ve eaten the begrudged food and counted thousands of seconds and become so angry.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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
McKinnon heard the pride and sadness that crept into her grandmother’s voice and, because hope can’t be sustained indefinitely, a begrudging acceptance of his fate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2024
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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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
