beg

1 of 2

verb

ˈbeg 

begged; begging

transitive verb

1

: to ask for as a charity (see charity sense 1a)

begging food from strangers

begged him for some change

2

a

: to ask earnestly for : entreat

beg forgiveness

I beg your pardon.

b

: to require as necessary or appropriate

a scene that begged to be photographed

3

: evade, sidestep

begged the real problems

intransitive verb

1

: to ask for alms

children begging on the streets

2

: to ask earnestly

begged for mercy

beg

2 of 2

abbreviation

begin; beginning

Phrases

beg the question

1

: to elicit a question logically as a reaction or response

the quarterback's injury begs the question of who will start in his place

2

: to pass over or ignore a question by assuming it to be established or settled

Synonyms

Verb

• appeal (to)
• beseech
• besiege
• conjure
• entreat
• impetrate
• implore
• importune
• petition
• plead (to)
• pray
• solicit
• supplicate

Choose the Right Synonym for beg

beg, entreat, beseech, implore, supplicate, adjure, importune mean to ask urgently.

beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy

implored her not to leave him

supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

Examples of beg in a Sentence

Verb

A homeless man begs on that corner every day.

children begging strangers for food

children begging food from strangers

He begged the doctor for medicine.

She begged him to read the story again.

He begged that she would forgive him.

begging a favor of someone

He's too proud to beg.

“Does your dog know any tricks?” “She knows how to beg.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Poor Candy wrote begging them to please, please reconsider. . . . —Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Aid agencies had begged the Israeli authorities for months to open a direct line between them and Israeli military forces to avoid disastrous misfires, Jamie McGoldrick, a senior U.N. relief official, said. —Adam Rasgon, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024

Taylor Wilson: That begs the question here, Bailey, are there not guardrails in place to prevent this? —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Over the years, viewers begged the Kings to consider Elsbeth for her own spinoff. —Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

Kanye West threatened to lock kids in cages at his private Christian school, new suit says Kelly Ripa seen begging for invitation to Diddy’s yacht in rerun aired this week Jolie said that several of her older children also wanted to testify. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

This all begs the question, what would Louis Comfort Tiffany think of seeing his designs tattooed on the arms and calves of young adults who may not even know his name? —Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Mar. 2024

After years of begging from local fans, Portillo’s started adding Texas locations last year. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024

Each recovered piece is a little clue that often leads to a bigger enigma that begs to be solved. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English beggen

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing beg

• beg, borrow, or/and steal
• beg leave
• beg off
• beg one's pardon
• beg pardon
• beg the question
• beg to differ
• I beg your pardon

Kids Definition

beg

verb

ˈbeg

begged; begging

1

: to ask for money, food, or help as charity

beg in the streets

2

: to ask earnestly or politely

beg a favor

beg pardon