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
• call upon
• appeal (to)
• require
• plead (to)
• conjure
• supplicate
• importune
• solicit
• call on
• besiege
• request
• 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 news of Israel’s surprise attack against Iran broke, Trump distanced himself from the operation, lamenting the violence and begging Iran to negotiate a deal before further destruction happened. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 24 June 2025

The yearbook staff had begged Mrs. Fish to meet that afternoon, as a 50-page deadline was approaching. —Sally Ventura june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox snubbed him when picking the 1996 and ’97 National League reserves, and Sosa begged out of the ’98 game with a shoulder bruise after being selected as a reserve despite hitting 20 home runs in June. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025

Orlov’s brutal playoff showing begs the question of whether or not this is the start of the end for him. —Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 18 June 2025