beggar
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to reduce to utter poverty; impoverish.
The family had been beggared by the war.
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to cause one's resources of or ability for (description, comparison, etc.) to seem poor or inadequate.
The costume beggars description.
noun
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a person who begs, esp one who lives by begging
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a person who has no money or resources; pauper
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ironic fellow
lucky beggar!
verb
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to be beyond the resources of (esp in the phrase to beggar description )
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to impoverish; reduce to begging
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beggarsimple
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beggarssimple
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have beggaredperfect
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has beggaredperfect
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am beggaringprogressive
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are beggaringprogressive
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is beggaringprogressive
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have been beggaringperfect progressive
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has been beggaringperfect progressive
Past
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beggaredsimple
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had beggaredperfect
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was beggaringprogressive
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were beggaringprogressive
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had been beggaringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of beggar
First recorded in 1175–1225, beggar is from the Middle English word beggare, beggere. See beg 1, -er 1, -ar 3
Explanation
A beggar is a poor person who asks others, or begs, for money or food. Another word for a beggar is a "panhandler," although both terms are vaguely offensive. No one wants to be a beggar. Many people who are beggars are also homeless and haven't been able to find jobs. Sometimes people use the word in an informal, pitying way: "Poor little beggar, he works so hard!" Another informal term is "to beggar belief," as when something is so incredible that you find it hard to believe. Another expression is “beggars can’t be choosers” which means you get what you get and you don’t get upset.
Vocabulary lists containing beggar
Broke-abulary: Synonyms for "Poor"
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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.
Meghan Andrews’ Beggar Woman and Austyn Myers’ Tobias, giving voice to the downtrodden Dickensian masses, infuse the production with the charm of their singing.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
On the page, Miss Havisham's sick game is one of cards, a few rounds of Beggar My Neighbor that isn't fair or fun.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2023
Beggar doesn’t make things any easier – he has developed a habit of approaching boats and trying to solicit food and attention from people on them.
From New York Times • May 18, 2012
Roy Harper played Les Cousins – he even recorded an album there in 1969 – and his first album, Sophisticated Beggar, drank deep from the same well.
From The Guardian • Jan. 26, 2011
"Have you heard? The Beggar King is dead."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
