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
[beyg, 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
-
(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
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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:
“We beg you now to return our mother to us, so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 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
She saw one man decide to self-deport, and countless others beg the judge for extensions on their cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"We beg you now to return our mother to us."
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Anya tried to suck in a breath to speak, to apologize for leaving Ivan to die, to beg his forgiveness.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
"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
The album begs the question: What’s a “normal life” to a liberated woman?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
It begs the question what next for Spain's conductor?
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
When Joe complains and threatens to bring up the noise, Angela all but begs him to put on a smile and let it go, just for this one night.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
It also begs a question: what happened to the hundreds of thousands of dogs once bred for human consumption?
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
We wonder at this special attention, and Papa begs Don Manuel not to go to so much bother.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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
Children “dropped everything, ran up to him, begged for candy and wanted to take pictures. Some children even cried and begged him for their freedom. Santa himself acted very indifferent.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
"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
Max begged me not to go last night, and I understand why.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
He said avocado growers have been begging the government for years to do more to address extortion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“We’re urging, we’re begging, we’re pleading to send more resources,” Jurado said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Please, I’m begging you, just pick something…Cobb salad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
After begging for order, he shouted "Let's do this!" which was met with cheers from the crowd.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
“He came here last night, trying to speak to my mom, begging her to let him back in.”
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
