beg

[ beg ]

/ bɛg /

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See synonyms for beg on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), begged, beg·ging.

to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: 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.

verb (used without object), begged, beg·ging.

to ask alms or charity; live by asking alms.

to ask humbly or earnestly: begging for help;begging to differ.

(of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.

Verb Phrases

beg off, to request or obtain release from an obligation, promise, etc.: He had promised to drive us to the recital but begged off at the last minute.

OTHER WORDS FOR beg

2 entreat, pray, beseech, petition.

See synonyms for beg on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about beg

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.

See Usage note at the current entry.

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.

Origin of beg

First recorded before 900; Middle English beggen, by assimilation from unattested Old English bedican, variant of bedecian “to beg”; compare Gothic bidagwa “beggar”

synonym study for beg

1, 2, 6. 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.

historical usage of beg

9. The idiom beg the question is a translation of the Latin rhetorical term petitio principii and its original meaning is “to assume the truth of the very point under discussion.” For example, to answer the question “Can we afford another employee?” by stating how convenient it would be to have another employee would be begging the question. This idiom was then taken to mean “to evade the issue or avoid the question,” a natural assumption if one is unfamiliar with the original meaning. The most recent, and now quite common, sense is “to raise the question”: His success begs the question: what will be his next project? However, the original meaning, having to do with a fallacy of reasoning or argument, is useful and in fact many people favor restricting the phrase to this meaning.

OTHER WORDS FROM beg

half-begging, adjectiveun·begged, adjective

Other definitions for beg (2 of 3)

beg²

[ beyg, beg ]

/ beɪg, bɛg /

noun

bey.

Origin of beg

First recorded in 1680–90; from Ottoman Turkish; see origin at bey

Other definitions for beg (3 of 3)

beg.

abbreviation

begin.

beginning.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use beg in a sentence

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s cash-strapped public school districts have begged for relief from the excessive tuition bills they must pay to the online schools.
How a soccer club won a $1.2 million grant from DeVos’s Education Department to open a charter school|Valerie Strauss|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
It was a cri de coeur that, given the season, begs comparisons to the Festivus airing of grievances from George Costanza’s father on “Seinfeld” — another older Queens man unable to gracefully accept the nature of the world around him.
The most petulant 46 minutes in American history|Philip Bump|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
A little wine and time make this pot roast tender and flavorfulSo, latkes are something I’ve obsessed over since I was a kid, begging my mom to make them for me year-round.
This crisp, classic potato latke recipe delivers a satisfying, celebratory crunch|Olga Massov|November 30, 2020|Washington Post
This year, the epidemiologists are begging us to stay home and celebrate Thanksgiving only among members of the same household.
Remembrance of Thanksgivings past|Valerie Blake|November 27, 2020|Washington Blade

Weeks later, in an emotional video shared by the city of Arlington, the family is begging others to avoid gathering with anyone outside their immediate household.
A birthday lunch left 15 Texas relatives battling covid-19: ‘Please don’t be like my family’|Andrea Salcedo|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
According to the sheriff, 18-year-old Levi Weaver begged the officer to shoot him, and then leapt at him.
The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown|Nina Strochlic|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She begged hospital staff to let her keep the rods and screws.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I begged the doctors to save my children [as] I watched them grow weaker and weaker every day.
‘Her Survival Was a Miracle’: The 6-Year-Old Who Beat Ebola|Wade C.L. Williams|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And when she spoke out about the AIDS crisis, her agent and manager practically begged her to let it go.
Morgan Fairchild: Badass Foreign Policy Wonk|Asawin Suebsaeng|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I used to hang out with them all day and begged him to teach me.
Quincy Jones Talks Chicago’s Mean Streets, Why Kanye West Is No Michael Jackson, and Bieber|Marlow Stern|September 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Madame Ratignolle begged Robert to accompany her to the house; she complained of cramp in her limbs and stiffness of the joints.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Which latter circumstance he begged Mr. Perker to note, with a glowing countenance and many marks of indignation.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
At last he lay upon the floor, while around her, Mrs. Merley and the other girl begged and beseeched.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
So my mother begged me to slip into the Rooms, with what was left, and try to get something back.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
She would not dare to choose, and begged that Mademoiselle Reisz would please herself in her selections.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for beg (1 of 2)

beg¹

/ (bɛɡ) /

verb begs, begging or begged

(when intr , often foll by for) to solicit (for money, food, etc), esp in the street

to ask (someone) for (something or leave to do something) formally, humbly, or earnestlyI beg forgiveness; I beg to differ

(intr) (of a dog) to sit up with forepaws raised expectantly

to leave unanswered or unresolvedto beg a point

beg the question

to evade the issue
to assume the thing under examination as proved
to suggest that a question needs to be askedthe firm's success begs the question: why aren't more companies doing the same?

go begging or go a-begging to be unwanted or unused

Word Origin for beg

C13: probably from Old English bedecian; related to Gothic bidagwa beggar

usage for beg

The use of beg the question to mean that a question needs to be asked is considered by some people to be incorrect

British Dictionary definitions for beg (2 of 2)

beg²

/ (bɛɡ) /

noun

a variant of bey

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with beg

beg

In addition to the idioms beginning with beg

beginning of the end, the
begin to see daylight
begin to see the light
begin with
beg off
beg the question
beg to differ

also see:

go begging

beg

OTHER WORDS FOR beg

Idioms about beg

Origin of beg

synonym study for beg

historical usage of beg

OTHER WORDS FROM beg

Other definitions for beg (2 of 3)

Origin of beg

Other definitions for beg (3 of 3)

Words related to beg

How to use beg in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beg (1 of 2)

Word Origin for beg

usage for beg

British Dictionary definitions for beg (2 of 2)

Other Idioms and Phrases with beg