beseech

verb

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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 In her misery, the queen beseeched the priest Kentigern to help her. — Anchorage Daily News, "Recycled fishing nets from Cordova will soon help launch a new clothing line," 2 June 2020 Some campaigns still were sending out emails before Tuesday night’s first quarter FEC deadline, beseeching donors for cash. — Laura Litvan, Bloomberg.com, "Virus Lockdowns Are Reshaping Election Fight for Senate Control," 8 May 2020 And in Romulus, outside Detroit, on Wednesday, a group of Amazon employees lined the sidewalk of their warehouse, complaining about a lack of transparency from management and beseeching Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos to shut it down. — Fortune, "Amazon’s coronavirus hiring boom has applicants packed into job fairs taking no special precautions," 1 Apr. 2020 Some are beseeching demonstrators to stick to nonviolent tactics, even in the face of police crackdowns and attacks by people sympathetic to Beijing. — BostonGlobe.com, "Along with allowing for sanctions, the legislation requires the State Department to review each year whether Hong Kong is still autonomous enough to qualify for the benefits of the 1992 Hong Kong Policy Act, which grants the city a trade and economic status different from that of mainland China.," 4 Nov. 2019 Some are beseeching demonstrators to stick to nonviolent tactics, even in the face of police crackdowns and attacks by people sympathetic to Beijing. — Edward Wong, New York Times, "Hong Kong Protesters Call for U.S. Help. China Sees a Conspiracy.," 3 Nov. 2019 Through it all, Yablonski and his attorneys beseeched the U.S. Department of Labor to get involved, to no avail. — Vince Guerreri, Smithsonian Magazine, "Fifty Years Ago, the Murder of Jock Yablonski Shocked the Labor Movement," 31 Dec. 2019 The product has since racked up a wait list of more than 4,000 eager fans, all of whom have been beseeching the brand to bring back the beloved lip treatment. — Courtney Thompson, CNN Underscored, "Tatcha's best-selling lip mask is finally back in stock," 26 Dec. 2019 The letters were thought to beseech the protection of the Virgin Mary, say historians. — Fox News, "Mysterious hidden 'witches’ marks' revealed," 31 Oct. 2019

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.