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beg

verb
\ ˈbeg How to pronounce beg (audio) \
begged; begging

Definition of beg

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to ask for as a charity (see charity sense 1a) begging food from strangers begged him for some change
2a : to ask earnestly for : entreat beg forgiveness I beg your pardon.
b : to require as necessary or appropriate a scene that begged to be photographed
3 : evade, sidestep begged the real problems

intransitive verb

1 : to ask for alms children begging on the streets
2 : to ask earnestly begged for mercy
beg the question
1 : to elicit a question logically as a reaction or response the quarterback's injury begs the question of who will start in his place
2 : to pass over or ignore a question by assuming it to be established or settled

beg

abbreviation

Definition of beg (Entry 2 of 2)

begin; beginning
Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about beg

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Choose the Right Synonym for beg

Verb

beg, entreat, beseech, implore, supplicate, adjure, importune mean to ask urgently. beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking. they begged for help entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance. entreated me to join them beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety. I beseech you to have mercy implored her not to leave him supplicate suggests a posture of humility. with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord adjure implies advising as well as pleading. we were adjured to tell the truth importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request. importuning viewers for contributions

Examples of beg in a Sentence

Verb

 A homeless man begs on that corner every day. children begging strangers for food children begging food from strangers He begged the doctor for medicine. She begged him to read the story again. He begged that she would forgive him. begging a favor of someone He's too proud to beg. “Does your dog know any tricks?” “She knows how to beg.”
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

 That begs the question: what can companies do to mitigate this loss of energy? — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "How Does Wireless Charging Work?," 1 Sep. 2019 Which begs the question: are there enough names left to give Greco-Roman monikers to the remaining moons and those discovered in the future? — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Astronomers Name Five of Jupiter’s New Moons," 27 Aug. 2019 Adrian Peterson has gone so far as to publicly beg for his good friend to rejoin the team, and that probably still won’t be enough. — Jonathan Jones, SI.com, "What We Learned at NFC East Training Camps," 22 Aug. 2019 All of which begs a critical question: Is the Rockies’ current lineup constructed to consistently win at Coors Field? — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "With baseball amid a historic power surge, the Rockies find themselves behind the home run curve," 18 Aug. 2019 All of which begs the question: could any old hacker, with the right coaching, emulate Bradman? — J.t., The Economist, "Steve Smith’s batting shows that sporting genius can be learned," 17 Aug. 2019 The leads’ chummy reunion begs the question, are Harry and Helen back for more adventure? — Rachel Yang, EW.com, "True Lies costars Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger reunite 'for the first time'," 29 July 2019 Two men were fined for eating raw squirrels to protest veganism as people begged them to stop. — Ashley Shaffer, USA TODAY, "Could Trump be charged after office? 'Yes.'," 24 July 2019 It was chosen for both its security and cool climate, as Keynes begged not to be subjected to a blistering Washington, D.C., summer. — Richard Hurowitz, Time, "What We Can Learn Today From a 1944 Meeting That Reshaped the Entire Global Economy," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beg.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of beg

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

History and Etymology for beg

Verb

Middle English beggen

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More Definitions for beg

beg

verb
How to pronounce beg (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of beg

: to ask people for money or food
: to ask (someone) in a very serious and emotional way for something needed or wanted very much
: to ask for (something needed or wanted very much) in a very serious and emotional way

See the full definition for beg in the English Language Learners Dictionary

beg

verb
\ ˈbeg How to pronounce beg (audio) \
begged; begging

Kids Definition of beg

1 : to ask for money, food, or help as charity beg in the streets
2 : to ask as a favor in an earnest or polite way : plead

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