beg off

verb

begged off; begging off; begs off

intransitive verb

: to ask to be excused from something

transitive verb

: to ask or gain permission to be excused from

begged off attending the party

beg-off

ˈbeg-ˌȯf 

noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Stanley tried to beg off. —Chicago Tribune, 22 Sep. 2022

David Pastrnak might beg off an All-Star Game someday, as veteran superstars of the past have done. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Feb. 2023

Alas, Drew came down with bronchitis and had to beg off. —Vulture, 27 May 2022

Because many of us can’t exactly beg off Zoom calls, using them to our advantage can help. —Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 7 Feb. 2022

Howard Wolfson, a Bloomberg adviser who also worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign, told the Washington Post’s Michael Scherer that the seventy-seven-year old Bloomberg would beg off the first four contests. —John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2019

Most athletes beg off chores involving tennis politics. —Elizabeth Weil, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2019

Talbot: While a lot of players begged off of playing for Team USA this summer — even DeMar DeRozan isn’t playing — White has made the most of his time so far. —Nick Talbot, ExpressNews.com, 10 Aug. 2019

Carroll joked when begging off on the invitation and promising to return the next day to pick up Egan, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported at the time. —Washington Post, 23 June 2018

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Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense