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 noun

Examples of beg off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Even professionals have to beg off leading a ceremony from time to time. Jenny Berg, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2023 But begging off the drugs entirely — that was a new venture. Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 30 Aug. 2023 When the producers of this podcast reached out to various celebrities to host the show, every single one begged off for fear that they, too, might be banned from Madison Square Garden. Time, 16 June 2023 On a particularly sodden late spring morning in 2006, Emma begged off school for the day. Beatrice Hazlehurst, ELLE, 26 Apr. 2023 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

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

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of beg off was in 1788

Dictionary Entries Near beg off

Cite this Entry

“Beg off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beg%20off. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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