v., begged, beg·ging, begs. v.tr.
- To ask for as charity: begged money while sitting in a doorway.
- To ask earnestly for or of; entreat: begged me for help.
- To evade; dodge: a speech that begged the real issues.
- To take for granted without proof: beg the point in a dispute.
- To solicit alms.
- To make a humble or urgent plea.
beg off
- To ask to be released from something, such as an obligation: We were invited to stay for dinner, but we had to beg off.
[Middle English beggen, possibly from Anglo-Norman begger, from Old French begart, lay brother, one who prays. See beggar.]
SYNONYMS beg, crave, beseech, implore, entreat, importune. These verbs mean to make an earnest request. Beg and crave mean to ask in a serious and sometimes humble manner, especially for something one cannot claim as a right: I begged her to forgive me. The attorney craved the court's indulgence. Beseech emphasizes earnestness and often implies anxiety: Be silent, we beseech you. Implore intensifies the sense of urgency and anxiety: The child implored his father not to be angry. Entreat pertains to persuasive pleading: "Ask me no questions, I entreat you" (Charles Dickens). Importune adds the sense of persistent and sometimes irksome pleading: The foundation was importuned by fundraisers. See also synonyms at cadge.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
