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. 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
And parents arrive at overwhelmed health facilities begging for infant formula. Kareem Khadder, CNN, 15 Mar. 2024 This begs the question: Is Philipps a believer in second chances? Rachel Brodsky, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 But 2023’s deep freeze begs the question of whether the warming will emerge from under an ice cube or an iceberg. Alena Botros, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 That disappointed volunteer mods in the country, who begged the company for reinforcements as Islamophobia, casteism, and other bigotry ran rampant in big local communities. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 Lately the canid has taken to begging by the side of the road. Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Other posts show several deer inside the home, begging for food at the kitchen counter, and being hand fed human food like cheese and oranges. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Which begs the question: Can employers legally mandate that workers come back to headquarters? Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2024 The newspaper photograph showed a man kneeling in the dirt, begging for his life. Hazlitt, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beg.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 19 Mar. 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

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