to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg forgiveness.
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.
to ask alms or charity; live by asking alms.
to ask humbly or earnestly: begging to differ.
begging for help;
begging to differ.
(of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.
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.
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.
begin.
beginning.
to solicit (for money, food, etc), esp in the street
to ask (someone) for (something or leave to do something) formally, humbly, or earnestly
I beg forgiveness
I beg to differ
(intr) (of a dog) to sit up with forepaws raised expectantly
to leave unanswered or unresolved
to beg a point
to evade the issue
to assume the thing under examination as proved
to suggest that a question needs to be asked
the firm's success begs the question: why aren't more companies doing the same?
to be unwanted or unused
The use of beg the question to mean that a question needs to be asked is considered by some people to be incorrect
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.
First recorded before 900; Middle English beggen, by assimilation from unattested Old English bedican, variant of bedecian “to beg”; compare Gothic bidagwa “beggar”
First recorded in 1680–90; from Ottoman Turkish; see origin at bey
To beg is to ask for something in an earnest, pleading way. You might beg your roommates to be quiet if you're desperately trying to get some sleep. You can beg your parents to let you go to a concert with your friends, and you can beg your sister for forgiveness after you inadvertently hurt her feelings. In either case, you are imploring, asking sincerely for something you want. Many dogs are skilled at this, and will beg by sitting beside you while you eat, looking adorable. Another way to beg is to ask for desperately needed charity — to solicit money or food from strangers.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Recent high-profile museum heists beg the question: What can be done to ensure your personal collection doesn’t meet the same fate?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Yet gamers often beg studios to remake their favourite titles and give them a new lease of life with modern tech.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Eventually, a law enforcement officer dressed in what looked like a leadership uniform came forward to beg crowds not to stampede the entrances.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
She saw one man decide to self-deport, and countless others beg the judge for extensions on their cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
I go to work the next day and beg Herr Braun to switch me to the night shift.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
"There is so much dust and highly polluting traffic in the market where I beg. My eyes are constantly in agony and my sight is deteriorating rapidly."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2023
"I do my job. And I guess it turns out that I am here to plead. To beg. To please, please do yours."
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2022
“We beg. A lot,” DeWitt said — for donations, for grant money, for sponsorships from wealthier suburban churches.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 17, 2020
“In 2010, we had to beg. In 2015, we had to ask nicely,” he said.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2019
“Don’t give me another dose. Whatever I say, Matthias, no matter how much I beg. I don’t want to be like Nestor, like those Grisha in the cells.”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
The album begs the question: What’s a “normal life” to a liberated woman?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
It begs the question what next for Spain's conductor?
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"It begs the question, why couldn't it have been tested to the north of the Pacific Ocean, where there is an expanse of international waters?" he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
He begs to be let out, with Mr. Lucas providing the voice of his own likeness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The finish line comes into view and you will yourself toward it, but the wind pushes you back, your body begs you to give up, and the whole world seems to grind into slow motion.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Children “dropped everything, ran up to him, begged for candy and wanted to take pictures. Some children even cried and begged him for their freedom. Santa himself acted very indifferent.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Voters have begged politicians for years to do something about energy prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Trump had initially told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni "begged" him for a picture at this week's G7 summit in France, saying he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her."
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
However, Trump has since given a phone interview with Italy's La7 TV channel in which he alleged: "She begged me to take a photo with her; I felt sorry for her."
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Liz and I begged my parents for one back when Liz was in junior high.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Insurers are begging Congress and the Administration for help to counter abuse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Elsewhere, AFP saw one man begging and another with a sign reading "Stop World War III!"
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
“I’m begging you to say: ‘This is not anti-science, this is extremely pro-science,’” he told me.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
It wasn’t like I was begging for a Pet Rock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
“We received word that a group of children were begging for food. Would that be you kids?”
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
