nurse a grudge

Idioms

Bear resentment for a long time, as in We don't know why Karl looks so angry; I think he's nursing a grudge against the family. This expression uses nurse in the sense of “foster a feeling,” a usage dating from the mid-1700s.

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.

But Ms. Franklin’s willingness to nurse a grudge or prolong a feud wasn’t a flaw.

From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2021

Meanwhile, Ulrich continued to nurse a grudge against his former doctor.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2021

His father, especially, seemed to nurse a grudge.

From Washington Post • Oct. 27, 2017

Perhaps this is just wishful thinking that I didn’t hurt a girl so badly she’d nurse a grudge for over 40 years.

From Slate • Jun. 13, 2016

You're so magnificent that I can't nurse a grudge against you.

From The Side Of The Angels A Novel by King, Basil

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023