beseech

verb

be·seech | \ bi-ˈsēch

, bē-\

beseeched or besought\ bi-ˈsȯt

, bē- \; beseeching

Definition of beseech

transitive verb

1 : to beg for urgently or anxiously beseeched him to write while he was away— R. W. Hatch

2 : to request earnestly : implore besought their protection

intransitive verb

: to make supplication

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about beseech

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Choose the Right Synonym for beseech

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 beseech in a Sentence

parishioners ardently beseeched the local bishop not to close their beloved church

Recent Examples on the Web

Her parents and a brother spent last week visiting the site, beseeching investigators, Red Cross workers and the carrier’s chief executive in an ultimately vain effort to retrieve any remains or belongings. ... — Andy Pasztor, WSJ, "With Personal Connection to Crash, Ralph Nader Takes on Boeing," 20 Mar. 2019 Over the last year, the business people and residents in these two sections of South L.A. have pursued an increasingly testy — but so far futile — campaign of emails, phone calls and meetings beseeching the city for relief. — Doug Smith, latimes.com, "Encampments take root in South L.A. Here's why clearing them out is so difficult," 10 June 2018 Wild and urgent rituals to beseech the powers that were, to save us from the increasing dark. — Harper's BAZAAR, "How To Cope With Holiday Loneliness," 25 Dec. 2014 The Colombian players are surrounding American referee Mark Geiger and beseeching him to change his mind. — Andrew Das, New York Times, "England Shakes Its Shootout Curse and Saves Its World Cup," 5 July 2018 Customers’ beseeching Wakeling to add shrimp scampi to his summer fare is paying off. — Nancy Miller, The Courier-Journal, "Ciao Ristorante is Italian food with the ultimate Sicilian twist," 3 July 2018 Holbrook launched a full-on search on her own Facebook page, dropping a flurry of posts and pictures there, beseeching people to help her find Geraldine. — Lisa Gutierrez, kansascity, "Emotional support pigeon goes on the lam in Oklahoma wearing pink diaper," 26 June 2018 The doors of the immaculate Renault Talisman limousine are open, the beseeching fans are waiting, as are the photographers at the photo call and the journalists at the press conference, but Spike Lee is not getting out of the car. — Kenneth Turan, latimes.com, "Spike Lee hopes 'BlacKkKlansman' is a wake-up call for the Trump era," 17 May 2018 Kennedy frequently appeared uneasy and faintly embarrassed by the upturned, shouting faces, the beseeching hands and the rough scrimmaging. — Johnny Miller, San Francisco Chronicle, "RFK speaks at Hunters Point," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beseech.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.