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
  • For her part, Maya has been begging to go back and see Harris, by far her favorite medical experience.
    — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • These little light strips are just begging to be tinkered with.
    — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of begging
Verb
  • The BoMar Club has received just under thirty thousand dollars from the opioid settlement, to fix its roof and bolster outreach efforts, and Coleman was petitioning the commission for more money to redo the floor, which sagged under our feet.
    — Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Anthropic may appeal today’s ruling, either by asking for an en banc review with all of the appeals court judges or by petitioning the Supreme Court.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 25 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 10 Oct. 2026.

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