BEGGARS Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

beggars 1 of 2

noun

plural of beggar

as in hoboes

a person who lives by public begging the pitiful beggars that are such a common sight in underdeveloped countries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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beggars

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of beggar

as in impoverishes

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of beggars

Noun

Dhaka’s rundown streets peppered with the homeless, vendors and child beggars. — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026 Robert Pattinson’s big outburst in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ has gone viral—here’s the ‘beggars’ meme, explained. — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 The War In times of peace, Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) had hosted parties in their palace for all — even beggars were welcome. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026 Gobert was chief among the beggars imploring his teammates for a shred of consistency on that end of the floor. — Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 Apr. 2026 In the old days beggars were drawn and quartered in that square. — George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025 In Havana, beggars are ubiquitous. — Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 Got a lot of mountains to climb, had to leave some beggars behind. — Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025 Indeed, the beauty of New Orleans proper was found in its colorful variety of humans—the loons and cons, the beggars and peddlers. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for beggars

Noun

From feeding hobos on the back porch in the night in the Great Depression to marching against wars for oil in the Eighties and Nineties.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026
The former, in which Burnett and Hamilton did a song-and-dance routine as Dust Bowl-era hobos, marked the first of several times that the two performed together.

— Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Definition of hoboes

Noun

Throughout much of Buddhist history, and particularly in Theravada Buddhist contexts, mindfulness and its associated meditation methods have been the purview of mendicants (monks and nuns), who used mindfulness meditation to achieve trance states (jhana) leading to nirvana.

— Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
But those states also have Republican governors, who would have raised holy hell if their constituents had been menaced by these roving mobs of mendicants.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Nov. 2025

Definition of mendicants

Verb

George Santos simply cannot get up After surprising the DS by passing the first task — falling out of a hovering helicopter backward — Santos ruins his big moment by struggling to swim to the dock and not being able to lift himself out of the water.

— Sarah Hearon, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
Nothing ruins an outfit faster than an ill-fitting bra, which is why this V-neck option caught our eye.

— Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruins

Noun

The 300 block of East Trade Street is frequented by patrons of public transportation, panhandlers and the thousands of fans attending events at the Spectrum Center.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 Sep. 2026
Some worry about robots replacing human jobs, even panhandlers.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of panhandlers

Noun

Within the often zany and slapstick realm of Bob’s Burgers, Tina still manages to steal the show with her singular voice, romantic fantasies, and obsessions with unicorns and boy bums.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
Kennedy’s Albany is a vital, violent place, a hothouse of gangsters, pool hustlers, bums, crooked politicians, and showgirls.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of bums

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beggarly

beggars

beggary

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“Beggars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beggars. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of beggars

noun

verb

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