Synonyms of beg

beg

verb

ˈbeg 

as in to petition

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner

she begged her husband to give up extreme skiing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• petition
• ask
• pray
• implore
• beseech
• entreat
• appeal (to)
• require
• plead (to)
• conjure
• supplicate
• importune
• solicit
• request
• call on
• besiege
• invoke
• impetrate
• compel
• desire
• insist
• coerce
• demand
• cadge
• force
• bludge
• sponge
• claim
• mooch
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suggest
• imply
• please
• hint
• satisfy
• oblige
• appease
• intimate
• gratify
• placate
• pacify
• conciliate
• comfort
• content
• console
• quiet
• mollify

Synonym Chooser

How is the word beg distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of beg are adjure, beseech, entreat, implore, importune, and supplicate. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

Where would adjure be a reasonable alternative to beg?

Although the words adjure and beg have much in common, adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

How are the words beseech and implore related as synonyms of beg?

Both beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy

implored her not to leave him

In what contexts can entreat take the place of beg?

The synonyms entreat and beg are sometimes interchangeable, but entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

When is it sensible to use importune instead of beg?

In some situations, the words importune and beg are roughly equivalent. However, importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

When might supplicate be a better fit than beg?

While the synonyms supplicate and beg are close in meaning, supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of beg

When a deputy later walked by during a safety check, Lines unsuccessfully begged him to stop. —Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026

His parents also pleaded with him to drop the weapon while begging the cops not to shoot their son. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026

During that time, students trapped inside called 911 and begged for help, investigators found. —Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 6 Jan. 2026

Barnes’ relative deficiencies beg more for a half-court maestro than Johnson’s. —Eric Koreen, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026