beg

beg — verb

1. to ask for something in a deeply anxious or emotional way

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to ask for something in a deeply anxious or emotional way

Example

Yara begged the nurse to let her see her father.

beg somebody to do something

At the border, the hikers begged for water and dry socks.

beg for + noun

Common collocations
  • beg for help
  • beg for mercy
  • beg somebody to stay
  • beg permission
  • beg and plead
Synonyms
  • plead

    close in meaning and common when someone is under emotional pressure

  • implore

    more intense and more formal or literary

  • ask

    much more neutral and not necessarily desperate

Antonyms
  • demand

    suggests force or authority instead of humble urgency

Grammar Patterns

beg for something

beg somebody for something

beg somebody to do something

beg + direct speech

Usage Note

Only sense that commonly takes patterns like beg for something, beg somebody to do something, or direct speech. Distinguish from sense 2, where the speaker is asking for charity because of poverty.

Common Mistakes

Yara begged the nurse let her see her father.
Yara begged the nurse to let her see her father.
after beg + object, English normally uses to + verb.

2. to seek food, money, or small help from strangers when you have nothing

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to seek food, money, or small help from strangers when you have nothing

Example

Outside the station, an old man begged for coins in the rain.

beg for + money

After losing his job, Ken begged money from strangers near the bridge.

beg money from somebody

Common collocations
  • beg for money
  • beg for food
  • beg in the street
  • beg from door to door
  • beg outside stations
Synonyms
  • panhandle

    American informal and usually about asking strangers in public for money

  • cadge

    informal and can mean getting things by asking without paying

  • solicit

    formal and broader, not always about poverty

Grammar Patterns

beg for money

beg for food

beg money from somebody

beg in the street

Usage Note

Subject is usually a poor or homeless person, and the thing asked for is often money, food, or small daily help. Distinguish from sense 1, which covers urgent requests in many situations and is not limited to charity.

Common Mistakes

The old man begged to the passengers for money.
The old man begged the passengers for money.
beg can take a person directly before for + thing.

3. of a dog, to sit up with its front paws raised while waiting for food

3.verbintransitive
Definition

of a dog, to sit up with its front paws raised while waiting for food

Example

When Nora held up a biscuit, the puppy begged at once.

a dog begs for food

At the pet show, three small dogs begged for treats together.

Common collocations
  • beg for treats
  • beg at the table
  • beg for a biscuit
  • beg on its back legs
Synonyms
  • sit up

    common everyday wording in dog training

  • sit pretty

    a training phrase for the same raised-paws position

Grammar Patterns

a dog begs

beg on its back legs

Usage Note

Usually used of trained dogs in home or show contexts. It often appears with words that describe treats, tables, or the dog's back legs.

4. said politely when you want to apologize or ask someone to repeat something

4.verb
Definition

said politely when you want to apologize or ask someone to repeat something

Example

"Beg your pardon, Mrs. Lin, I stepped on your bag."

spoken apology: beg your pardon

"Beg your pardon?" the clerk asked through the noisy glass.

asking someone to repeat

Common collocations
  • beg your pardon
  • beg pardon
  • I beg your pardon
Synonyms
  • sorry

    the usual everyday word, especially when asking someone to repeat

  • pardon

    a shorter version with the same polite function

  • excuse me

    often used before interrupting or attracting attention, not only after a problem

Grammar Patterns

beg your pardon

beg pardon

Usage Note

Fixed spoken formula, usually beg your pardon or beg pardon. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense is polite or apologetic, while sense 5 sounds offended.

Common Mistakes

Beg your pardon to repeat?
Beg your pardon?' / 'Could you repeat that?
this expression works as a set spoken formula, not as beg + to-infinitive.

5. said sharply to show that another person's words seem rude or insulting

5.verb
Definition

said sharply to show that another person's words seem rude or insulting

Example

"I beg your pardon?" Aunt May said after the rude joke.

offended reaction

"Beg your pardon?" the driver snapped when Max called him lazy.

spoken formula with anger

Common collocations
  • I beg your pardon?
  • beg your pardon?
  • say it sharply
Synonyms
  • what

    much blunter and less polite

  • excuse me

    can also show offence, but often sounds less formal

  • how dare you

    far stronger and openly confrontational

Grammar Patterns

I beg your pardon?

beg your pardon?

Usage Note

Fixed spoken formula, often with strong stress on pardon. Distinguish from sense 4: this use challenges what was said, instead of apologizing or neutrally asking for repetition.

Phrasal verbs

beg off

phrasal verb

To politely decline an invitation or commitment.

Maya begged off the party because she was tired.

Brian begged off from helping with the move.

Idioms

beg leave to do something

idiom

To politely ask for permission to do something.

Mia begged leave to speak during the meeting.

Did you beg leave to leave early?

be going begging

idiom

Something is available because no one else wants it.

The last slice of cake is going begging.

If that ticket is going begging, I'll take it.

beg somebody’s pardon

idiom

To ask someone to forgive you for something you said or did.

Diego begged his mother's pardon for breaking the vase.

Sara begged her friend's pardon after the argument.

beg the question

idiom

To make someone want to ask a question that hasn't been answered yet.

His statement begs the question of who will pay.

Doesn't that beg the question why we need more staff?

I beg your pardon

idiom

Used to apologize for something you said or did.

I beg your pardon, I didn't see you there.

I beg your pardon for interrupting your conversation.

I beg to differ

idiom

A polite way to say you disagree with something just said.

You think it's easy? I beg to differ.

I beg to differ with your opinion on the matter.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For sense 1, beg is much stronger than ask. Ask is the neutral everyday verb for making a request. Plead is close to beg, but it often highlights the speaker's emotional pressure or danger. Implore is even more intense and more literary or formal, often suggesting fear, pain, or deep desperation. Beseech is the most formal and old-fashioned of the group, so learners meet it more in writing than in ordinary speech. You can ask a teacher for extra time in a normal situation, but you beg or plead for extra time when you are truly desperate. A prisoner might implore a judge for mercy, while a character in a historical novel may beseech a king for help.

beg ↗ask ↗plead ↗implorebeseech

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Beg appeared in Middle English around the year 1200. Its deeper history is uncertain: it may continue an old English verb connected with asking in poverty, or it may be linked to Anglo-French forms in the same family as beggar. Later English widened the meaning from asking for alms to making urgent requests in general, and then to fixed polite expressions such as beg your pardon.