beseech

[bih-seech]

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verb (used with object), be·sought or be·seeched, be·seech·ing.

to implore urgently: They besought him to go at once.
to beg eagerly for; solicit.

verb (used without object), be·sought or be·seeched, be·seech·ing.

to make urgent appeal: Earnestly did I beseech, but to no avail.

Origin of beseech

before 1100; Middle English bisechen, Old English besēcan. See be-, seek

Related formsbe·seech·er, nounbe·seech·ing·ly, adverbbe·seech·ing·ness, nounun·be·seech·ing, adjectiveun·be·seech·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for beseech

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1. pray, petition, supplicate, adjure. 1, 2. entreat, importune.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for beseech

implore, sue, invoke, pray, importune, entreat, crave, solicit, plead, ask, supplicate, appeal, adjure, petition

Examples from the Web for beseech

Contemporary Examples of beseech

On Yom Kippur, Jewish communities fast, confess their sins in the collective “we,” and beseech God for forgiveness.
Israeli High Court Judges Let the Oppressed Go Free at Yom Kippur
Joshua Bloom
September 18, 2013

Historical Examples of beseech

And give me cause, I beseech you, to call you my compassionating friend.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Let me beseech you, Madam, to be the guardian of my reputation!
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
I beg, I beseech, I implore you, help me and show me the man that stole it.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus
Wilton Wallace Blancke
You will break my heart, deary; comfort yourself, I beseech you.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire
Try, I beseech you, to let Cléante know about the marriage they have decided upon.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire

British Dictionary definitions for beseech

beseech

verb -seeches, -seeching, -sought or -seeched

(tr) to ask (someone) earnestly (to do something or for something); beg

Derived Formsbeseecher, nounbeseeching, adjectivebeseechingly, adverb

Word Origin for beseech

C12: see be-, seek; related to Old Frisian besēka

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 beseech

late 12c., bisecen "to beseech, beg urgently," from be- + Middle English secen "to seek" (see seek). German cognate besuchen is merely "to visit." Related: Besought; beseeching.