beg the question

Cultural  

1. To assume what has still to be proved: “To say that we should help the region's democratic movement begs the question of whether it really is democratic.”

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beg the question Idioms  

1. Take for granted or assume the truth of the very thing being questioned. For example, Shopping now for a dress to wear to the ceremony is really begging the question—she hasn't been invited yet. This phrase, whose roots are in Aristotle's writings on logic, came into English in the late 1500s. In the 1990s, however, people sometimes used the phrase as a synonym of “ask the question” (as in The article begs the question: “What are we afraid of?”).

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Example Sentences

It all begs the question whether the index’s newest additions can sustain their momentum.

From Barron's

While specific issues can be offered for each team, it still begs the question: what went wrong for the English sides in Europe?

From BBC

Which begs the question: When Pierson chose her first beehive wig in 1976, did she realise it would become her signature look for the next five decades?

From BBC

Which begs the question: what are the prime minister and chancellor going to do about it?

From BBC

“It will beg the question of the senior staff, why are you here? Why do we need to promote you? Why do you need a raise when you’re flaunting things like that?”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• avoid
• bypass
• circumvent
• conceal
• deceive
• dodge
• elude
• escape
• fend off
• flee
• get around
• hide
• sidestep