fester

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.

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

The Jewish community has warned time and again that when hatred is allowed to fester, when it is excused, normalized or mainstreamed, it inevitably leads to violence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

For Congolese former deputy Enoch Ruberangabo, who comes from an ethnic Tutsi community in the restive east, Mobutu was a leader who "allowed community tensions to fester".

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

But the new strategy has been accompanied by hundreds of store closures, thousands of layoffs and the sale of a 60% stake in its China business, and labour tensions have continued to fester.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

He felt a deep love for the runaway boy, like a wound, and yet felt at the same time that this wound was not intended to fester in him, but that it should heal.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse