Nearby Words
noun
2.
a penniless person.
3.
a wretched fellow; rogue: the surly beggar who collects the rents.
4.
a child or youngster (usually preceded by little): a sudden urge to hug the little beggar.
verb (used with object)
5.
to reduce to utter poverty; impoverish: The family had been beggared by the war.
6.
to cause one's resources of or ability for (description, comparison, etc.) to seem poor or inadequate: The costume beggars description.
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Beggar
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to flee; abscond: |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To beggar
Example Sentences
- Our objective is that no beggar should be put in jail, but into a rehabilitative place.
- Both the beggar and the lion might be able to scavenge a meal without killing.
- It is akin to the ecstasy of a beggar high on marijuana.
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
beggar
early 13c., from O.Fr. begart, originally a member of the Beghards, lay brothers of mendicants in the Low Countries, from M.Du. beggaert "mendicant," of uncertain origin, with pejorative suffix (see -ard). Cf. Beguine. Early folk etymology connected
EXPANDthe English word with bag. The feminine form beggestere is attested as a surname from c.1300. The verb meaning "to reduce to poverty" is from 1520s. Beggar's velvet was an old name for "dust bunnies."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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