beg
verb/beɡ/
/beɡ/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they beg | /beɡ/ /beɡ/ |
| he / she / it begs | /beɡz/ /beɡz/ |
| past simple begged | /beɡd/ /beɡd/ |
| past participle begged | /beɡd/ /beɡd/ |
| -ing form begging | /ˈbeɡɪŋ/ /ˈbeɡɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to ask somebody for something especially in an anxious way because you want or need it very much
- Now you have to beg and plead.
- beg for something He wants to see them beg for mercy.
- beg somebody for something They begged him for help.
- beg somebody Forgive me, I beg you!
- beg something She begged permission to leave.
- beg something of/from somebody I managed to beg a lift from a passing motorist.
- Can I beg a favour of you?
- beg (somebody) + speech ‘Give me one more chance,’ he begged (her).
- beg somebody to do something I begged him not to go.
- beg to do something He begged to be told the truth.
- beg that… (formal) She begged that she be allowed to go.
- (British English also) She begged that she should be allowed to go.
- beg of somebody (formal) Don't leave me here, I beg of you!
- beg somebody's something I have come to apologize and to beg your forgiveness.
More Like This Verbs usually followed by infinitivesVerbs usually followed by infinitivesExtra Examples- We went to him to beg for forgiveness.
- In the end they almost begged him to take the job.
- We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- almost
- practically
- humbly
- …
- be forced to
- have to
- for
- of
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- [intransitive, transitive] to ask somebody for money, food, etc., especially in the street
- A young woman was begging in the street.
- a begging letter (= one that asks somebody for money)
- a begging bowl (= used to beg for money with)
- beg for something The children were begging for food.
- beg for something from somebody They will have to beg for money from tourists.
- beg something from somebody We managed to beg a meal from the cafe owner.
- beg something They went off to beg food.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + beg- be forced to
- have to
- for
- from
- [intransitive] if a dog begs, it sits on its back legs with its front legs in the air, waiting to be given somethingMore Like This Consonant-doubling verbsConsonant-doubling verbs
Word OriginMiddle English: probably from Old English bedecian, of Germanic origin; related to bid2.
Idioms
See beg in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee beg in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbeg leave to do something
- (formal) to ask somebody for permission to do something
- I beg leave to add a few comments of my own.
be going begging
- (British English, informal) if something is going begging, it is available because nobody else wants it
- I’ll have that last cake if it’s going begging.
beg somebody’s pardon
- (formal, especially British English) to ask somebody to forgive you for something you have said or done
- He returned to beg her pardon for his sudden outburst.
beg the question
- to make somebody want to ask a question that has not yet been answered
- All of which begs the question as to who will fund the project.
- to talk about something as if it were definitely true, even though it might not be
- These assumptions beg the question that children learn languages more easily than adults.
I beg your pardon
- (formal) used to tell somebody that you are sorry for something you have said or done
- I beg your pardon, I thought that was my coat.
- used to ask somebody to repeat what they have just said because you did not hear
- ‘It's on Duke Street.’ ‘I beg your pardon.’ ‘Duke Street.’
- (British English) used to tell somebody that you are offended by what they have just said or by the way that they have said it
- ‘Just go away.’ ‘I beg your pardon!’
I beg to differ
- used to say politely that you do not agree with something that has just been said
- ‘At least she is good at her job.’ ‘Oh, I beg to differ.’
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beg