beg

play

verb \ˈbeg\

Definition of beg

begged

;

begging

transitive verb
1 : to ask for as a charity (see charity 2a) begging food from strangers begged him for some change
2a : 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 the question

1 : to pass over or ignore a question by assuming it to be established or settled
2 : to elicit a question logically as a reaction or response the quarterback's injury begs the question of who will start in his place

See beg defined for English-language learners

See beg defined for kids

Examples of beg in a Sentence

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.”

Origin and Etymology of beg

Middle English beggen

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First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

beg

abbreviation

Definition of beg

begin; beginning

BEG Defined for English Language Learners

beg

play

verb

Definition of beg for English Language Learners

: to ask people for money or food
: to ask (someone) in a very serious and emotional way for something needed or wanted very much
: to ask for (something needed or wanted very much) in a very serious and emotional way