beg to differ

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Idioms and Phrases

Disagree with someone, as in John told me Max was sure to win, but I beg to differ—I don't think he has a chance . This courteous formula for expressing disagreement echoes similar uses of beg in the sense of “ask,” such as I beg your pardon , so used since about 1600. Also see excuse me .

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April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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