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.
After deadly twin quakes in Venezuela, survivor Rubén Darío Sillie used social media to beg for help amid a severely delayed and criticized government response.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Eventually, a law enforcement officer dressed in what looked like a leadership uniform came forward to beg crowds not to stampede the entrances.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
"But there is one thing he needs to remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg."
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
However, Kevin Muir, the institutional trader turned blogger, would beg to differ.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
She’d beg him to stay, but he’d be all noble about returning to his duties, and he’d leave Calypso brokenhearted.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
"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
"It begs the question, why couldn't it have been tested to the north of the Pacific Ocean, where there is an expanse of international waters?" he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Which, admittedly, is less fun than pretending to be trapped in a submarine while a scammer begs you to buy gift cards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
It’s a new Wagner for our time and place and begs for continuation through the full cycle.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Which all begs two very obvious questions: Can Celtic really afford to let O'Neill leave?
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
“Please,” she begs, “please give me another chance!”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
"My parents weren't going to let me go on holiday originally. I begged them to let me as it was the last few weeks to spend time with my friends before I move away."
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The speech begged the question: What ideas did Greenspan leave in his wake?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Trump had initially told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni "begged" him for a picture at this week's G7 summit in France, saying he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her."
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
They coaxed, cajoled, begged and beseeched for support to bring the tournament to North America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Which begged the question: How exactly would he die?
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
There’s no screaming, or precooked, scorched-earth inveighing begging for TikTok aggregation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
“This is the moment to tell you we need your help; we are begging you for help.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
In recent years, some U.S. firms have supplied “perpetual-style” products that haven’t really caught on, begging the question of whether demand for a true perpetual futures product would grow rapidly.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
A Ukrainian man accused of conspiring to set fire to a car linked to Sir Keir Starmer has told a court that he refused to film the attack despite an alleged accomplice "begging" him to.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
I intend it to be a question, but it comes out like I’m begging, and I hate myself.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
