beseech

verb

be·​seech bi-ˈsēch 

bē-

beseeched or besought bi-ˈsȯt 

bē-

; beseeching

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 of beseech

• beg
• petition

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

That didn’t mollify Pleasant View neighbors, like Nancy Pate, who attended that August meeting and beseeched the commissioners not to sign off on housing at the Glo Park site. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025

One of its products, a stablecoin, owes its value to Binance, whose co-founder Changpeng Zhao is beseeching Trump to pardon him after a money laundering conviction. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025

Almost every time there’s a close call the player comes up twirling his finger, beseeching his coach to ask for a review. —Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025

McKellen beseeched the audience at the Princess of Wales Theatre. —Brent Lang, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English besechen, from be- + sechen to seek

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for beseech

• impeach
• outreach
• beach
• beech
• bleach
• breach
• breech
• each
• keech
• leach
• leech
• meech

Kids Definition

beseech

verb

be·​seech bi-ˈsēch 

besought -ˈsȯt  or beseeched; beseeching

: to ask earnestly for