beg
verb (used with object)
to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg forgiveness.
were begging
-
past progressiveof beg.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
"So we were begging – I'd usually go down and speak to people about what I was trying to do. I explained I wasn't going to tear up their space or anything like that."
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Four years ago, the Ukrainians were begging for help.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
“Some of them started hoofing the experimenter, as if they were begging for help,” he says.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 7, 2023
People were begging Liberty Bay to stay, so Larson says, “The store stayed. It just never un-popped.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
The aunts in Hong Kong said to send money quickly; their children were begging on the sidewalks, and mean people put dirt in their bowls.
From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston
