beg
1to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg alms;to beg forgiveness.
to ask (someone) to give or do something; implore: He begged me for mercy.Sit down, I beg you.
to ask alms or charity; live by asking alms.
to ask humbly or earnestly: begging for help;begging to differ.
(of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.
beg off, to request or obtain release from an obligation, promise, etc.: He had promised to drive us to the recital but begged off at the last minute.
Idioms about beg
beg the question, : See Usage note at the current entry.
to assume the truth of the very point raised in a question.
to evade the issue or avoid a direct answer.
to raise the question; inspire one to ask.
go begging, to remain open or available, as a position that is unfilled or an unsold item: The job went begging for lack of qualified applicants.
Origin of beg
1synonym study For beg
word story For beg
Other words for beg
Other words from beg
- half-begging, adjective
- un·begged, adjective
Other definitions for beg (2 of 3)
bey.
Origin of beg
2Other definitions for beg. (3 of 3)
begin.
beginning.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use beg in a sentence
Her post-crown fame, though, only further begs the question: Why has there not been another Jewish Miss America since 1945?
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America? | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTMoreover, the exhibition begs the question: how do we come to privilege certain images?
Which naturally begs the question, where is Kent drawing from?
‘The Babadook’ Is the Best (and Most Sincere) Horror Movie of the Year | Samuel Fragoso | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShe begs the guidance counselor to let her advance to high school.
It begs the question why isn't the female charged with something similar?
Is UMass-Amherst Biased Against Male Students in Title IX Assault Cases? | Emily Shire | August 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And then you go to your pa and tell him the deacon wants to make up, and begs his pardon out and out.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandAnd he begs Saint John to remember his olive trees, his family, who will sup at Christmas-tide without him.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer"Sire, the dauphiness begs to be allowed to go to rest without any state," said Lady Noailles.
Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander DumasI have communicated your intention to Mr Carter; he begs you will by no Means disappoint him.
Journal and Letters of Philip Vickers Fithian: A Plantation Tutor of the Old Dominion, 1773-1774. | Philip Vickers FithianHe begs us to send a guard at once, and I haven't a horseman.
Warrior Gap | Charles King
British Dictionary definitions for beg (1 of 2)
/ (bɛɡ) /
(when intr , often foll by for) to solicit (for money, food, etc), esp in the street
to ask (someone) for (something or leave to do something) formally, humbly, or earnestly: I beg forgiveness; I beg to differ
(intr) (of a dog) to sit up with forepaws raised expectantly
to leave unanswered or unresolved: to beg a point
beg the question
to evade the issue
to assume the thing under examination as proved
to suggest that a question needs to be asked: the firm's success begs the question: why aren't more companies doing the same?
go begging or go a-begging to be unwanted or unused
Origin of beg
1usage For beg
- See also beg off
British Dictionary definitions for beg (2 of 2)
/ (bɛɡ) /
a variant of bey
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with beg
In addition to the idioms beginning with beg
- beginning of the end, the
- begin to see daylight
- begin to see the light
- begin with
- beg off
- beg the question
- beg to differ
also see:
- go begging
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse