nurse a grudge

1. 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

Everyone knows what it’s like to nurse a grudge; sensible people know how to get over one.

From Washington Post

One of the numbers in “Company” is “Being Alive,” and no one is more alive than Ms. LuPone, 72, who cherishes her fiery Sicilian temperament and her ability, as the writer Karen Heller put it, to “nurse a grudge like cognac.”

From New York Times

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

From New York Times

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

From Washington Post

Many still nurse a grudge over a humiliating 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Chile in the 2016 Copa America tournament.

From Washington Post