beg

1 of 2

verb

ˈbeg 

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

see also:

beg the question go begging

beg

2 of 2

abbreviation

begin; beginning

Synonyms of beg

Verb

• petition
• ask
• pray
• implore
• beseech

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

Verb

Officers tried to move him to another cell, but the other men begged them not to, saying his song and prayer put their minds at ease. — Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Guria remains poor enough that a municipal beauty pageant can offer a food processor — beg pardon, a food processor and its instruction booklet — as its top prize. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

During a bizarre San Diego break-in, a golden retriever who lives at the home begged the prowler to play. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Guthrie and her her siblings have made several videos begging for clues about their matriarch’s disappearance including one message offering a $1 million reward for clues leading to her recovery. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English beggen

First Known Use

Verb

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

Phrases Containing beg

• beg, borrow, or/and steal
• beg leave
• beg off
• beg one's pardon
• beg pardon
• beg the question
• beg to differ
• I beg your pardon

Rhymes for beg

• clegg
• egg
• keg
• leg
• legg
• meg
• neg
• peg
• reg
• blackleg
• bootleg
• foreleg

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