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
• sue
• 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

The whipsawing developments beg a pivotal question during a tumultuous time: Is the country headed for a recession in 2025 or not? —Paul Davidson, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025

Which begs the question: can Crystal Palace, who hammered Aston Villa in the other semi and have never lifted the cup, bridge the gap in experience more successfully when the final comes around next month? —Phil Hay, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Which, to some, begs the question: Why not? Part 5 | The Forgotten Fifty years later, why do so few people in Charlotte remember that this tragedy ever happened? —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Apr. 2025

Chicago Tribune The zoo’s management wanted to put Ziggy down, but Lewis begged that the sentence be commuted to life imprisonment, indoors. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2025