begverb
uk/beɡ/us/beɡ/-gg-B2 [ I or T ] to make a very strong and urgent request:
They begged for mercy.
[ + speech ] "Please, please forgive me!" she begged (him).
[ + obj + to infinitive ] He begged her to stay, but she simply laughed and put her bags in the car.
B2 [ I or T ] to ask for food or money because you are poor:
There are more and more homeless people begging on the streets these days.
She had to beg for money and food for her children.
He begged a loan from his boss.
[ I ] If a dog begs, it sits with its front legs in the air as if to ask for something:
They have trained their dog to sit up and beg.
I beg your pardon
a polite way of saying "I am sorry" or "Could you repeat what you just said?"
a way of showing that you are angry about something that someone has just said:
I beg your pardon? I hope you're not implying that I lied!
More examples
- She made her old boyfriend beg her to come back and then she turned him down!
- He went down on his knees and begged for forgiveness.
- He decided to go, although I begged him not to.
- He bowed down before the king and begged for mercy.
- He was screaming in pain and begging for anaesthetic.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Making appeals & requests
- a cry for help idiom
- appellate
- application
- ask for sb
- beseech
- besiege
- besought
- bum
- cri de coeur
- crowdsource
- freeloader
- gateway
- go over sb's head idiom
- hit
- hit sb up
- I'll thank you to do sth idiom
- pester
- petition
- request
- scrounge
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Animal (non-human) behaviour
Making & accepting apologies
Expressions of anger
Idiom(s)
beg the question
beg, borrow, or steal
go begging
I beg to differ/disagree
Phrasal verb(s)
beg off