Begged definition |Dictionary.com

Begged

2 dictionary results for: Begged

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

beg1

[beg] Pronunciation Key verb, begged, beg·ging.

–verb (used with object)

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.

–verb (used without object)

5.	to ask alms or charity; live by asking alms.

6.	to ask humbly or earnestly: begging for help; begging to differ.

7.	(of a dog) to sit up, as trained, in a posture of entreaty.

—Verb phrase

8.	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.

—Idioms

9.	beg the question, to assume the truth of the very point raised in a question.

10.	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.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME beggen, by assimilation from OE *bedican, syncopated var. of bedecian to beg; cf. Goth bidagwa beggar. See bead

]

—Synonyms 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

beg   (běg) Pronunciation Key
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.
1. To evade; dodge: a speech that begged the real issues.
2. To take for granted without proof: beg the point in a dispute.

v. intr.

To solicit alms.
To make a humble or urgent plea.

Phrasal Verb(s):
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: 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.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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