beg

verb

ˈbeg How to pronounce beg (audio)
Definition of begnext
as in to petition
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner she begged her husband to give up extreme skiing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word beg distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of beg are adjure, beseech, entreat, implore, importune, and supplicate. While all these words mean "to ask urgently," beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

Where would adjure be a reasonable alternative to beg?

Although the words adjure and beg have much in common, adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

How are the words beseech and implore related as synonyms of beg?

Both beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy
implored her not to leave him

In what contexts can entreat take the place of beg?

The synonyms entreat and beg are sometimes interchangeable, but entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

When is it sensible to use importune instead of beg?

In some situations, the words importune and beg are roughly equivalent. However, importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

When might supplicate be a better fit than beg?

While the synonyms supplicate and beg are close in meaning, supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beg Three new products are hitting the shelves just in time for Valentine’s Day, along with three returning favorites that fans have been begging to see again this season. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2026 Lamar Walker was begging for help and slowly freezing to death, according to a federal lawsuit filed by his family. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Feb. 2026 The doctor has worked with high school athletes who beg for a chance to play a final game after suffering a torn ACL. —Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026 At Dilley, Maria begged to be reunited with her cat, Milo. —Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beg
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beg
  1. petition
  2. ask
  3. pray
  4. implore
  5. beseech
Verb
  • Last October, Nike petitioned to revoke or modify the subpoena.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Charley had none of these and petitioned the court for an order to be transferred to the girls' team.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Feb. 2026
Definition of petition
Verb
  • Footage of the incident shows King Charles greeting dozens of residents when one man shouted at him, asking whether the monarch had urged police to investigate his disgraced brother, according to The Times.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • But for those interested in fashion history, these red carpet looks are key texts just asking to be pored over.
    — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of ask
Verb
  • After an agonizing two and a half weeks of waiting, of back and forth, of praying, at the very last minute the judge finally gave her ruling in favor of TPS for Haiti.
    — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
  • The day after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Tucson, Arizona, home under the cover of night, her daughter, Savannah, made a heartbreaking appeal to pray for her mother.
    — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of pray
Verb
  • Following Pretti’s death on January 24, scores of protesters have taken to the streets, armed with cell phones and bright orange whistles, as local officials implore Minnesotans to continue documenting ICE operations.
    — Sophia Peyser, CNN Money, 2 Feb. 2026
  • With his stick stuck in his pads, Swayman took off his mask and implored Vasilevskiy to do the same.
    — Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Definition of implore
Verb
  • As Clare Malone reported for The New Yorker, Woodward beseeched Bezos to intercede.
    — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
  • As Trump sent thousands of troops and elite military ships to the region in the lead-up to the Jan. 3 raid, Machado beseeched him to intervene in her country and topple Maduro.
    — Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Jan. 2026
Definition of beseech

Browse Nearby Words

befuddling
beg
began
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beg. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on beg

Nglish: Translation of beg for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about beg

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