beggar

[ beg-er ]

/ ˈbɛg ər /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

Origin of beggar

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

Related formsbeg·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 Formsbeggarhood 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

Word Origin and History for beggar

beggar

c.1200, from Old French begart, originally a member of the Beghards, lay brothers of mendicants in the Low Countries, from Middle Dutch beggaert "mendicant," of uncertain origin, with pejorative suffix (see -ard). Cf. Beguine. Early folk etymology connected the English word with bag. Form with -ar attested from 14c., but begger was more usual 15c.-17c. The feminine form beggestere is attested as a surname from c.1300. Beggar's velvet was an old name for "dust bunnies." "Beggers should be no choosers" is in Heywood (1562).

beggar

"reduce to poverty," mid-15c., from beggar (n.). Related: Beggared; beggaring. Figurative use by 1640s.

beggar

noun

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Origin of beggar

Examples from the Web for beggar

beggar

noun

verb (tr)

beggar

beggar