beggar
noun
beg·gar
| \ ˈbe-gər
\
\
Definition of beggar
(Entry 1 of 2)
2
: pauper
… this system only created beggars, completely dependent on outside help …— Darcy Ribeiro
3
: fellow sense 4c
an unlucky beggar
beggar
verb
beggared;
beggaring\ ˈbe-gə-riŋ
\
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Definition of beggar (Entry 2 of 2)
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Examples of beggar in a Sentence
Noun
I heard you won the contest! You lucky beggar! the pitiful beggars that are such a common sight in underdeveloped countriesVerb
Years of civil war had beggared the country.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Beware of Greeks bearing a gift horse on which beggars might ride. — Paul Muldoon, The New Yorker, "Position Paper," 2 Sep. 2019 This week in the garden To reduce or prevent the germination of winter weeds such as bedstraw, thistle, dandelion, beggar’s lice, rescue grass, henbit, and annual bluegrass apply a pre-emergent herbicide such as Dimension, Amaze, or XL now. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "Yeah, it feels wrong, but it’s time to plant your winter vegetables," 30 Aug. 2019 The image was burned into my heart, and the message that came with it: once a boy, now a beggar. — Chris Rush, Harper's magazine, "Love and Acid," 19 Aug. 2019 In an age when millennials can split a drinks tab on their smartphones before leaving the bar, this almost beggars belief. — The Economist, "The Fed says it will build a real-time interbank payments system," 10 Aug. 2019 Louisville's proposal is similar to a Lexington ordinance passed two years ago that prohibits pedestrians and beggars from entering traffic on major roadways. — Darcy Costello, The Courier-Journal, "Intersection panhandling in jeopardy as Louisville ordinance clears hurdle," 31 July 2019 For example, the notion that Manson was a law enforcement or intelligence collaborator beggars belief and remains entirely conjectural. — Stephen Phillips, latimes.com, "What really happened in the Manson murders? ‘Chaos’ casts doubt on Helter Skelter theory," 12 July 2019 In a negative one, the next round of U.S. tariffs on $300 billion of so far unaffected Chinese imports will kick in next week, the recriminations continue, and the urge to conduct beggar-thy-neighbor policies spirals out of control. — Geoffrey Smith, Fortune, "A Fear at the G20 Summit: That the U.S.-China Trade War Turns Into a Currency Conflict," 28 June 2019 Tariff wars led to currency wars, beggar-thy-neighbor devaluations spawning inflation and perpetual financial crises. — Roger Lowenstein, Washington Post, "Americans don’t want endless trade wars, threats and tariffs. What we need is a bold alternative.," 21 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
This, given the popularity of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, beggars belief. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Stacey Abrams Is Smarter Than Tom Steyer," 15 Aug. 2019 His cat like reflex saves often beggared belief, and he was voted Player of the Year at the conclusion of the 2001/02 season. — SI.com, "Claudio Ranieri: The Tinkerman's All Time Best XI," 12 June 2019 Summer is made of stories: fiction that seems true, and true stories that beggar belief. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "A summer made of stories: Great books for warmer days," 2 June 2018 To imagine that a country with an economy smaller than Canada’s or Italy’s could leverage a superpower ten times wealthier beggared the imagination. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Russian Leverage Over Trump Is Not Just a Theory. It’s Now Fact.," 8 May 2018 And both seek a way out, though nothing could be less virtual, or more beggared of thrills, than the path that Charley chooses. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, "“Ready Player One” and “Lean on Pete”," 24 Mar. 2018 The prescience of this story, intended as satire in the mid-’70s and all too real in 2018 America, beggars belief. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "From Buckingham Palace to the National Theatre, Hamish Bowles Takes London by Storm," 23 Feb. 2018 Cousins was having his best season as a pro, putting up stat lines that beggared belief, fusing brilliantly with fellow All-Star big man Anthony Davis, and likely leading the Pelicans to a playoff berth. — Nathaniel Friedman, GQ, "Boogie Makes the NBA Better," 30 Jan. 2018 Through it all, the obscenely wealthy Rauner squats amid his piles of money and blames everyone but himself for beggaring his state. — Noah Berlatsky, Chicago Reader, "Unless Illinois is very, very unlucky, Governor Bruce Rauner will be out on his ass in 2018," 20 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beggar.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for beggar
beggar
noun
beg·gar
| \ ˈbe-gər
\
\
Kids Definition of beggar
: a person who lives by begging
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