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.
to fail or refuse to come to grips with; avoid; evade.
a report that consistently begs the whole problem.
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.
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.
begin.
beginning.
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
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?
to be unwanted or unused
The use of beg the question to mean that a question needs to be asked is considered by some people to be incorrect
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.
First recorded before 900; Middle English beggen, by assimilation from unattested Old English bedican, variant of bedecian “to beg”; compare Gothic bidagwa “beggar”
First recorded in 1680–90; from Ottoman Turkish; see origin at bey
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Until the stock trades a new high, however, the market will beg to disagree.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
This novel centers on Pothivelu Pandaram, a hustling businessman in southern India whose trade consists of managing men and women with physical deformities who beg outside temples.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Some book purists beg to differ with Fennell’s interpretation.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
“Just give me 10 minutes. I beg you. Please don’t let them have the show,” she said to security.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
“Because I knew that, sooner or later, he would come here and beg you to take his place in the Library Olympics.”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
