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importuning

verb

present participle of importune
as in begging
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner she was always importuning people for favors, even when she had no right to ask

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for importuning
  1. begging
  2. petitioning
Verb
  • Guthrie and her her siblings have made several videos begging for clues about their matriarch’s disappearance including one message offering a $1 million reward for clues leading to her recovery.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • There was one big first-half chance that went begging, Callum Doyle’s flick-on leaving the Wales international with just goalkeeper Max Weiss to beat, but his close-range header was tipped over.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of begging
Verb
  • Student groups are petitioning the CES to maintain the school’s traditional hiring practices, where the teaching staff isn’t chosen based only on academic credentials, but also on lived experience.
    — Caterina Morbiato, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026
  • After Russia's refusal to pay the award, Naftogaz has been petitioning national courts seeking court orders to seize Russian commercial assets.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of petitioning
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.

Browse Nearby Words

importunes
importuning
importunities
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Cite this Entry

“Importuning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/importuning. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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