beg
verb (used with object)
to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg forgiveness.
beg
1 American
[beg]
/ bɛg /
verb (used with object)
-
begs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
begged,
past participle, past
-
begging
present participle
-
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.
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to take for granted without basis or justification.
a statement that begs the very point we're disputing.
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to fail or refuse to come to grips with; avoid; evade.
a report that consistently begs the whole problem.
verb (used without object)
-
begs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
begged,
past participle, past
-
begging
present participle
-
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.
verb phrase
idioms
-
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.
-
beg
2
American
[beyg, beg]
/ beɪg, bɛg /
noun
beg.
3
American
abbreviation
-
begin.
-
beginning.
beg
1
British
/ bɛɡ /
verb
-
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
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(intr) (of a dog) to sit up with forepaws raised expectantly
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to leave unanswered or unresolved
to beg a point
-
-
to evade the issue
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to assume the thing under examination as proved
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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
beg
2
British
/ bɛɡ /
noun
beg
More Idioms
Usage
The use of beg the question to mean that a question needs to be asked is considered by some people to be incorrect
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
begsimple
-
begssimple
-
have beggedperfect
-
has beggedperfect
-
am beggingprogressive
-
are beggingprogressive
-
is beggingprogressive
-
have been beggingperfect progressive
-
has been beggingperfect progressive
Past
-
beggedsimple
-
had beggedperfect
-
was beggingprogressive
-
were beggingprogressive
-
had been beggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of beg1
First recorded before 900; Middle English beggen, by assimilation from unattested Old English bedican, variant of bedecian “to beg”; compare Gothic bidagwa “beggar”
Origin of beg2
First recorded in 1680–90; from Ottoman Turkish; see origin at bey
Explanation
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.
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.
See Examples For:
Most of those coverage busts came from USC’s backups at the position, but it does beg questions about the depth in the Trojans’ defensive backfield.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
Change the herbs accordingly: chives and parsley are excellent with giardiniera, while Mexican-style pickled carrots practically beg for cilantro and oregano.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
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
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
“I beg your pardon?” said Mr. Lemoncello, taking off his bathing cap.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
"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
“Personally, I don’t want to beg. Nobody wants to beg,” said Puja, 28.
From New York Times ● Dec. 26, 2018
“They hang out here because, well, it’s a safe place to hang out and beg. We tolerate them, but—” “Oh, Hazel is awesome,” Don said.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
While roadways like the 5 serve to get you from one point to another quickly and efficiently, this one begs you to relish the journey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 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
When Joe complains and threatens to bring up the noise, Angela all but begs him to put on a smile and let it go, just for this one night.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
“Theeeen we should get ready for bed. Zeta-1 will tell us a cuento, won’t you? Please?” he begs me.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
For five years, Sister Schubert’s fans asked, begged and eventually petitioned for the return of a frozen food composed of two things: a small smoked sausage and a soft Parker House roll.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
A bystander begged to help Good, to check her pulse and perform first aid.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Trapped, Norris begged for a different strategy to give himself a chance of victory, and eventually circumstances presented it to him.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
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
A guard was passing by; I begged him in German to show us the toilets.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
While begging her parents to keep sending her money, Hannah admitted that she thinks of herself as “the voice of my generation. “Or at least a voice.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon said the community is broke, desperate for government help and had been begging for reinforcements for months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Beyoncé gave it a modern rewrite for her 2024 Cowboy Carter, external album, changing the lyrics from: "I'm begging of you, please, don't take my man" to "I'm warning you, don't come for my man."
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
The title was the name of a red-haired, green-eyed young fan Parton met signing autographs, and the story of a woman begging a rival to leave her man alone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
But within weeks, Spiritualist supporters were begging to bring her back to London.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
