beggar

[ beg-er ]

/ ˈbɛg ər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR beggar ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who begs alms or lives by begging.

a penniless person.

a wretched fellow; rogue: the surly beggar who collects the rents.

a child or youngster (usually preceded by little): a sudden urge to hug the little beggar.

verb (used with object)

to reduce to utter poverty; impoverish: The family had been beggared by the war.

to cause one's resources of or ability for (description, comparison, etc.) to seem poor or inadequate: The costume beggars description.

Words nearby beggar

begar, begat, begats, begem, beget, beggar, beggar description, beggar's opera, the, beggar's-lice, beggar-my-neighbor, beggar-my-neighbour

Origin of beggar

First recorded in 1175–1225, beggar is from the Middle English word beggare, beggere. See beg¹, -er¹, -ar³

OTHER WORDS FROM beggar

beg·gar·hood, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beggar

Better to be a beggar in freedom,” he cried out, “than to be forced into compromises against my conscience.
The Catholic Philosopher Who Took on Hitler|John Henry Crosby|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, and all that.
Joseph Campbell on the Roots of Halloween|Joseph Campbell|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In an interview, Liang said, “Air should be the most valueless commodity, free to breathe for any vagrant or beggar.”
The Chinese Can’t Catch Their Breath|Brendon Hong|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The landays in I Am the Beggar of the World are sung only when men are absent.
Beauty and Subversion in the Secret Poems of Afghan Women|Daniel Bosch|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I am the Beggar of the World is a book of poems, war reportage, and photographs.
Beauty and Subversion in the Secret Poems of Afghan Women|Daniel Bosch|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Who knows where he may be wandering as a beggar among people who speak another tongue?
Odysseus, the Hero of Ithaca|Homer
"Well, I'm not a beggar and I'm not hinting for your money," flared Beryl.
Red-Robin|Jane Abbott
Czipra filled her hand and began to search among the mass for the smallest copper, a kreutzer,76 as the correct alms for a beggar.
Debts of Honor|Maurus Jkai
Every one indeed knew that he had a liaison with a beggar woman, to whom he gave ten kopecks every six months.
The House of the Dead or Prison Life in Siberia|Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Imagine the princess to be that child, and the stone a loaf that she would fain give to feed a beggar.
Uarda, Complete|Georg Ebers

British Dictionary definitions for beggar

beggar

/ (ˈbɛɡə) /

noun

a person who begs, esp one who lives by begging

a person who has no money or resources; pauper

ironic, jocular, mainly British fellowlucky beggar!

verb (tr)

to be beyond the resources of (esp in the phrase to beggar description)

to impoverish; reduce to begging

Derived forms of beggar

beggarhood or beggardom, noun

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

beggar

noun

verb (used with object)

Content related to beggar

Words related to beggar

Words nearby beggar

Origin of beggar

OTHER WORDS FROM beggar

Examples from the Web for beggar

British Dictionary definitions for beggar

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of beggar