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Synonyms

beg off

British  

verb

  1. (intr, adverb) to ask to be released from an engagement, obligation, etc

"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
beg off Idioms  

  1. Ask to be released from an obligation; turn down an invitation. For example, He's asked me out to dinner three times already, but I have to beg off again, or Mother couldn't take on another committee and so she begged off. [Early 1700s]

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.

He never begged off for an afternoon beauty date with his grandmother—the fact that he didn’t have a grandmother was beside the point.

From Literature

So I think we shouldn't beg off the responsibility to understand it.

From Salon

Convention planners wanted him to kick off Monday night’s prime time programming, but the governor begged off.

From Los Angeles Times

When the jury asked two pointed questions Wednesday afternoon about two key pieces of evidence in the case, Brinkema begged off providing a substantive answer.

From Seattle Times

Lots of my good colleagues begged off signing this petition, admitting to men that they were afraid of potential reprisals, both professional and personal.

From Salon

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.