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 beseeched

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

Examples from the Web for beseeched

Contemporary Examples of beseeched

He wrote letters, made phone calls, and beseeched every major pharmaceutical company—not a single one was interested.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction
Abby Haglage
May 4, 2014
In the final days of the race, Romney beseeched supporters to engage in a kind of hand-to-hand combat.
Team Romney Plays the Electoral Numbers in Frenzied Final Stretch
David Freedlander
November 4, 2012

Historical Examples of beseeched

She knew now why he had beseeched her to think of him as doing what he thought was right.
Spring Street
James H. Richardson
In vain, however, had she beseeched him to entrust all to her father.
The Young Duke
Benjamin Disraeli
The comely Anna pounced upon her friend, shook her, chided and beseeched her.
The Four Million
O. Henry
I soon made my curiosity known, and beseeched her to gratify it.
A Description of Millenium Hall
Sarah Scott
Of course he begged and beseeched to build it 193 on Coney Island.
Samantha at Coney Island
Marietta Holley

British Dictionary definitions for beseeched

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 beseeched

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.