beg

1 of 2

verb

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
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. 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.” A scene so beautiful it was begging to be photographed.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Verb
Boeing’s Present Challenges Like General Electric before its split, Boeing has had several major financial and operational challenges that have begged doubts about its present organizational structure. Jim Osman, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024 Or there’s a glowering Michelle Dockery in the 1910s begging her amateur-pilot husband not to get back into that death trap of a plane. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Oct. 2024 Meanwhile, Katt Williams is banging on the glass begging them to leave the likely predatory loan service alone. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024 Leave your guests nostalgic and practically begging for your secret to an even-better moon pie than the boxed kind. Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for beg 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English beggen

First Known Use

Verb

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of beg was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near beg

Cite this Entry

“Beg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beg. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on beg

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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