to hold a grudge
42
4.8
- idiom
- Informal
- After our argument, I decided to let it go and not hold a grudge against my friend.
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Watch on YouTubeShe's not going to be able to hold a grudge or to have petty fights.
- She's not going to be able to hold a grudge or to have petty fights.
- And that may mean that people brand you as holding a grudge.
- Not forgiving someone is not the same as holding a grudge.
- Unlike Germany, France holds a grudge.
- But all kidding aside, remembering is important, but holding a grudge is it's not helpful.
- Yeah, which this next one I would definitely hold a grudge on.
Examples
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After all, this administration has a history of holding grudges and wanting revenge.
Blog text (31) -
I don't hold a grudge.
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The other type can hold a grudge for years.
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Or that he could hold a grudge for so long?
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Unfortunately for him, I hold a grudge.
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I never hold a grudge.
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As you know, I am not one to hold grudges.
Fiction book (2002) -
Thirty years on, still holding a grudge, huh?
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- I'm not the type to hold a grudge.
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Still, he never gave any indication that he might be holding a grudge against her about this.
Blog text (21)
Synonyms
21
8.4
To keep being angry with someone and try to harm or blame them
Antonyms
How Resentful
- Informal
42
4.8
248
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to continue feeling angry or resentful' is directly derivable from combining 'hold' (to keep/maintain) with 'grudge' (a long-held resentment); the indefinite article 'a' is semantically light. This compositional pattern mirrors equivalents in many languages (e.g. Spanish 'guardar rencor'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Hold a grudge may come from the image of literally holding a small heavy thing called a grudge in your hand instead of letting it go. If you keep holding it, you stay 'angry' about what happened, so the phrase means 'to continue feeling angry'.