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⇱ beg - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

beg

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbɛg/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/bɛg/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(n. beg; n. bāg, beg)

Inflections of 'beg' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
begs
v 3rd person singular
begging
v pres p
begged
v past
begged
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
beg1 /bɛg/USA pronunciation   v., begged, beg•ging. 
  1. to ask for something as a gift or as a favor:[~ + object]to beg alms; to beg forgiveness.
  2. to ask someone for money or charity;
    live by doing this:[no object]children and old women begging in the streets.
  3. to ask (someone) to give or do something;
    implore: [~ + object + for + object]He begged me for help.[~ + object + to + verb]I begged him to drive slowly.[~ + of + object]I beg of you, stop this drinking!
  4. [~ + object] to avoid;
    evade: a report that begs the whole problem.
  5. to take the liberty of (saying or doing something);
    to allow oneself:[~ + to + verb]He begged to differ with you on that topic.
  6. beg off, to request permission not to do (something assigned): [~ + off + object]I begged off that assignment.[~ + verb-ing]I begged off serving on that committee.
Idioms
  1. Idioms beg the question, to assume the truth of the point in dispute:If you try to prove that the death penalty reduces crime by saying that crime is reduced by having the death penalty, you are begging the question.
  2. Idioms go begging, [no object] to remain open or available:That job went begging for lack of qualified applicants.


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
beg1  (beg),USA pronunciation v., begged, beg•ging. 
v.t. 
  1. to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor:to beg alms; to beg forgiveness.
  2. to ask (someone) to give or do something;
    implore:He begged me for mercy. Sit down, I beg you.
  3. to take for granted without basis or justification:a statement that begs the very point we're disputing.
  4. to fail or refuse to come to grips with;
    avoid;
    evade:a report that consistently begs the whole problem.

v.i. 
  1. to ask alms or charity;
    live by asking alms.
  2. to ask humbly or earnestly:begging for help; begging to differ.
  3. (of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.
  4. beg off, to request or obtain release from an obligation, promise, etc.:He had promised to drive us to the recital but begged off at the last minute.
  5. beg the question, to assume the truth of the very point raised in a question.
  6. 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.
  • bef. 900; Middle English beggen, by assimilation from Old English *bedican, syncopated variant of bedecian to beg; compare Gothic bidagwa beggar. See bead
    2. entreat, pray, beseech, petition. 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 report, 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.
beg2  (bāg, beg),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. World Historybey.
  • 1680–90;

beg., 
    1. begin.
    2. beginning.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
beg /bɛɡ/ vb (begs, begging, begged)
  1. when intr, often followed by for: to solicit (for money, food, etc), esp in the street
  2. to ask (someone) for (something or leave to do something) formally, humbly, or earnestly: I beg forgiveness, I beg to differ
  3. (intransitive) (of a dog) to sit up with forepaws raised expectantly
  4. beg the question ⇒
    • 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?
  5. go begging, go a-begging ⇒ to be unwanted or unused
Etymology: 13th Century: probably from Old English bedecian; related to Gothic bidagwa beggarUSAGE
beg /bɛɡ/ n
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
bey  (bā),USA pronunciation n., pl. beys. 
  1. World Historya provincial governor in the Ottoman Empire.
  2. World History(formerly) a title of respect for Turkish dignitaries.
  3. World History(formerly) the title of the native ruler of Tunis or Tunisia. Turkish, beg. 
  • a Middle Chinese word akin to Chinese bǎi hundred (Guangdong dialect, dialectal baak)
  • Turkish, by-form of earlier beg, Old Turkic beg subordinate chief, head of a clan, perh.
  • 1590–1600

'beg' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: begging on the [street, corner, subway], begging for [spare change, food], begging and [pleading, praying], more...

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