beggar

beggar — noun

1. a very poor person who gets food or small amounts of money from strangers by ask

1.nounB2
Definition

a very poor person who gets food or small amounts of money from strangers by asking for help

Example

A beggar sat outside the station with a paper cup.

beggar + sit outside [place]

Near the bridge, an old beggar asked tourists for bread.

ask somebody for food or money

Common collocations
  • street beggar
  • old beggar
  • blind beggar
  • beggar with a cup
  • give money to a beggar
Synonyms
  • panhandler

    mainly American and usually means someone asking strangers in public for small amounts of money

  • mendicant

    formal and more likely in writing than in everyday speech

  • pauper

    means a very poor person, not necessarily someone asking in the street

Grammar Patterns

a beggar asks for money

a beggar in the street

give money to a beggar

Usage Note

Usually refers to someone living by asking strangers for food or money in public places. Distinguish from noun/2, which is an informal way to talk about a person and often follows an adjective.

Common Mistakes

The beggar at the office asked me the time.
The man at the office asked me the time.
beggar should be used only when the person survives by asking for money or food.

2. a person, talked about with sympathy, envy, or annoyance, especially after an ad

2.nounC2
Definition

a person, talked about with sympathy, envy, or annoyance, especially after an adjective

Example

Poor beggar, Ken missed the last train home again.

adjective + beggar

Lucky beggar, Mia won backstage tickets on her first try.

Common collocations
  • poor beggar
  • lucky beggar
  • silly beggar
  • old beggar
Synonyms
  • fellow

    similarly refers to a person, but it is less emotional

  • guy

    more neutral and common in general conversation

  • bloke

    British informal like this sense, but it does not itself suggest pity or envy

Grammar Patterns

poor beggar

lucky beggar

silly beggar

Usage Note

Usually follows an adjective such as poor, lucky, silly, or old, and it is mostly spoken and informal. Distinguish from noun/1, which means a person who lives by begging.

Common Mistakes

My beggar is waiting outside.
My friend is waiting outside.' / 'Poor beggar, my friend is waiting outside.
this sense normally appears with an adjective and shows the speaker's feeling.
Idioms

beggars can't be choosers

idiom

used to say that when your options are very limited, you should accept what is offered instead of asking for better choices.

The hostel room smelled damp, but beggars can't be choosers tonight.

Sam wanted sushi, yet with five dollars left, beggars can't be choosers.

if wishes were horses, beggars would ride

idiom

used to say that simply wanting something will not make it happen unless you act.

You can dream about Paris all year, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Leo keeps talking about fame, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

beggars can’t be choosers

idiom

This means that when you have no other options, you must accept what is offered.

Mina didn't like the blue shirt, but beggars can't be choosers.

I know the hotel is small, but beggars can't be choosers right now.

if wishes were horses, beggars would/might ride

idiom

This means that simply wishing for something does not make it happen.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride, but we need real money.

Diego dreamed of winning the lottery, but if wishes were horses, beggars might ride.

beggar — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, beggar is specific: it describes someone who lives by asking strangers for money or food. Homeless person is broader and only tells you that the person has no home; a homeless person may work and may not beg. Panhandler is mainly American and usually stresses asking passers-by in public for small cash. Pauper is formal or old-fashioned, and it means a very poor person without necessarily suggesting street begging. So a woman staying in a shelter is a homeless person, while a man outside the station asking for coins is a beggar or, in American English, a panhandler. In historical or legal writing, pauper is often the better choice.

beggar ↗homeless personpanhandlerpauper

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Beggar appeared in Middle English as beggere, built from beggen, meaning to beg, plus the person ending -er. English later also formed the verb beggar from the noun. The deeper history of beg is uncertain, so the older background of beggar is not fully settled.