beggar belief
idiom
chiefly British
: to be unbelievable or not deserving to be believed : to defy belief
It almost beggars belief that anyone can be so cruel.
Examples of beggar belief in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His war stories are a torrent of near-death experiences that beggar belief: shooting his way out of ambushes, evading Burma Army forces closing in on three sides, or coming face-to-face with an ISIS fighter in a trench — the tales often close with the punchline We almost got smoked.
—
Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
The idea that Swift might really have provided a dossier of wrongdoing to the divorcee in question would seem to beggar belief.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Oct. 2022
Some of the points raised against this proposal are so dishonest as to beggar belief.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2021
Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
The idea that Swift might really have provided a dossier of wrongdoing to the divorcee in question would seem to beggar belief.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Oct. 2022
Some of the points raised against this proposal are so dishonest as to beggar belief.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beggar belief.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near beggar belief
Cite this Entry
“Beggar belief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beggar%20belief. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share