fester
Americanverb (used without object)
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to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.
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to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh.
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to putrefy or rot.
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to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an ulcer; a rankling sore.
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a small, purulent, superficial sore.
verb
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to form or cause to form pus
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(intr) to become rotten; decay
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to become or cause to become bitter, irritated, etc, esp over a long period of time; rankle
resentment festered his imagination
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informal (intr) to be idle or inactive
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has festeredperfect 3rd person singular
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have festeredperfect
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has been festeringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is festeringprogressive 3rd person singular
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am festeringprogressive 1st person singular
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are festeringprogressive
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festerssingular 3rd person
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have been festeringperfect progressive
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festeringparticiple
Past
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had festeredperfect
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were festeringprogressive plural
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festeredsimple
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was festeringprogressive singular
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festeredparticiple
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had been festeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fester
1350–1400; (noun) Middle English festir, festre < Anglo-French, Old French festre < Latin fistula fistula (for -l- > -r- cf. chapter); (v.) Middle English festryn, derivative of the noun or < Old French festrir
Explanation
To fester is to grow and spread, not in a good way. When a cut gets infected it starts to fester and smell bad. Emotional wounds stink too, like when you hold on to anger or pain until it starts to fester and explodes. Fester is a verb describing what happens to a wound or a sore that gets worse and has liquid, or pus, oozing out. Infections cause cuts, broken bones, and diseases to fester. Dead bodies can fester too — as they decompose. Things that fester have a decaying odor, and bad feelings can have a decaying effect on friendships and the heart. Letting bitter emotions fester often leads to their getting worse.
Vocabulary lists containing fester
Bud, Not Buddy
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Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam
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Beowulf: A New Telling
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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.
Despite this, he's facing a dwindling number of volunteers and donors - a symptom, as he puts it, of a town "left to fester" in economic strife.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
In the San Fernando Valley case, Internal Affairs investigators reported turning up an “overwhelming pattern of intentional policy violations” by the officers involved, and said poor management allowed a “rampant culture of misconduct” to fester.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Webb was able to take on some of Hong Kong’s most powerful constituencies and castigate regulatory authorities for letting corporate governance issues fester.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Sweeping contentious issues under the rug and relegating them to wanton aggravation is one major way of letting these same topics fester.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
Shattered legs may heal in time, but some betrayals fester and poison the soul.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
