begrudge
verbUK, US /bɪˈɡɹʌd͡ʒ/
Etymology From Middle English bigrucchen (“to grumble at”), equivalent to be- (“at, about, over”) + grudge. Compare also English begrouch.
1
To grudge about or over; be envious or covetous.
2
To be reluctant.
3
Usually, With negative connotations To give reluctantly.
- Okay, then, next time you go and leave me stay here. See if I begrudge you a little fun.1958 May, Avram Davidson, “Or All The Seas With Oysters”, in Galaxy Science Fiction, volume 16, number 1, page 50:
- “Trial’ll probably be Monday. You can keep him one night, can’t you? I don’t think anybody in Maycomb’ll begrudge me a client, with times this hard.”1960 July 11, Harper Lee, chapter 15, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
1 more example
- A defeat would have been harsh on the Gunners, especially after an improved rearguard action in the second half, but few could begrudge the German side a point from a match they dominated for long spells.2011 September 13, Sam Lyon, “Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Arsenal”, in BBC:
- Derived terms
- begrudgement, begrudger, begrudgery, begrudging