beg
verb (used with object)
to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg forgiveness.
beg
1 American
[beg]
/ bɛg /
verb (used with object)
-
begs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
begged,
past participle, past
-
begging
present participle
-
to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg forgiveness.
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 take for granted without basis or justification.
a statement that begs the very point we're disputing.
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to fail or refuse to come to grips with; avoid; evade.
a report that consistently begs the whole problem.
verb (used without object)
-
begs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
begged,
past participle, past
-
begging
present participle
-
to ask alms or charity; live by asking alms.
-
to ask humbly or earnestly: begging to differ.
begging for help;
begging to differ.
-
(of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.
verb phrase
idioms
-
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.
-
beg the question,
-
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.
-
beg
2
American
[bayg, beg]
/ beɪg, bɛg /
noun
beg.
3
American
abbreviation
-
begin.
-
beginning.
beg
1
British
/ bɛɡ /
verb
-
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
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(intr) (of a dog) to sit up with forepaws raised expectantly
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to leave unanswered or unresolved
to beg a point
-
-
to evade the issue
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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?
-
-
to be unwanted or unused
beg
2
British
/ bɛɡ /
noun
beg
More Idioms
Usage
The use of beg the question to mean that a question needs to be asked is considered by some people to be incorrect
Synonym Usage
Beg and request are used in certain conventional formulas, in the sense of ask. Beg, once a part of many formal expressions used in letter writing, debate, etc., is now used chiefly in such courteous formulas as I beg your pardon; The Committee begs to state, etc. Request, more impersonal and now more formal, is used in giving courteous orders (You are requested to report) and in commercial formulas like to request payment.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
begsimple
-
begssimple
-
have beggedperfect
-
has beggedperfect
-
am beggingprogressive
-
are beggingprogressive
-
is beggingprogressive
-
have been beggingperfect progressive
-
has been beggingperfect progressive
Past
-
beggedsimple
-
had beggedperfect
-
was beggingprogressive
-
were beggingprogressive
-
had been beggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of beg1
First recorded before 900; Middle English beggen, by assimilation from unattested Old English bedican, variant of bedecian “to beg”; compare Gothic bidagwa “beggar”
Origin of beg2
First recorded in 1680–90; from Ottoman Turkish; see origin at bey
Explanation
To beg is to ask for something in an earnest, pleading way. You might beg your roommates to be quiet if you're desperately trying to get some sleep. You can beg your parents to let you go to a concert with your friends, and you can beg your sister for forgiveness after you inadvertently hurt her feelings. In either case, you are imploring, asking sincerely for something you want. Many dogs are skilled at this, and will beg by sitting beside you while you eat, looking adorable. Another way to beg is to ask for desperately needed charity — to solicit money or food from strangers.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I don't ask you, I beg you to be brave and consistent," Sánchez said, moments before the two votes took place.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Please, please I just want something, I’ll do anything,” the hungry 8-year-old boy would beg, according to his sister, whose identity The Times is withholding because she is a juvenile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
"My mum and dad used to bring me here every Saturday morning to do the shopping and I'd always beg to go on the roundabout," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Change the herbs accordingly: chives and parsley are excellent with giardiniera, while Mexican-style pickled carrots practically beg for cilantro and oregano.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Mother immediately fell to her knees and began to weep and beg.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
"There is so much dust and highly polluting traffic in the market where I beg. My eyes are constantly in agony and my sight is deteriorating rapidly."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2023
"I do my job. And I guess it turns out that I am here to plead. To beg. To please, please do yours."
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2022
“We beg. A lot,” DeWitt said — for donations, for grant money, for sponsorships from wealthier suburban churches.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 17, 2020
“In 2010, we had to beg. In 2015, we had to ask nicely,” he said.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2019
“They hang out here because, well, it’s a safe place to hang out and beg. We tolerate them, but—” “Oh, Hazel is awesome,” Don said.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
But it begs the question that we all must answer: We all want the same things for our children, but do we all want the same things for each other?
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026
The opposite of a guard dog: Golden retriever begs to play with intruder in San Diego break-in.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The countryish “Run Away” opens with the couplet “In the time of confession / In the hour of the storm,” as Beck, sounding dejected and lost, begs not to be left alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
It begs the question and adds to the suspense about these managers being products of a system at USG.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
He begs for a glass of water and a shower.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
For five years, Sister Schubert’s fans asked, begged and eventually petitioned for the return of a frozen food composed of two things: a small smoked sausage and a soft Parker House roll.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
DiMario Thomas Sr., a bar bouncer who witnessed Glenn’s death, said Proctor practically begged him to back his version of events after the shooting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Zhou begged Simpson to reconsider, according to emails included in court filings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
A bystander begged to help Good, to check her pulse and perform first aid.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
He begged the doctors not to operate, even though they told him that it was a relatively simple procedure and cautioned him of the dangers involved in not operating.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
"I was crying, literally begging: 'You can't leave me like this'," she says.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
That’s despite the Iran war pushing oil prices above $100 a barrel, a new Federal Reserve’s interest-rate hike and artificial-intelligence executives publicly begging their own industry to slow down.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
“People, I would argue, are not even begging to use AI,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
While begging her parents to keep sending her money, Hannah admitted that she thinks of herself as “the voice of my generation. “Or at least a voice.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
“He knows we’re going someplace,” I said, “and he’s begging me to let him go with us.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
