Synonyms of beg

beg

verb

ˈbeg 

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

• petition
• ask
• pray
• implore
• beseech
• entreat
• call upon
• appeal (to)
• require
• plead (to)
• conjure
• supplicate
• importune
• solicit
• call on
• besiege
• request
• invoke
• impetrate
• compel
• sue
• desire
• insist
• coerce
• demand
• cadge
• force
• bludge
• sponge
• claim
• mooch
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suggest
• imply
• please
• hint
• satisfy
• oblige
• appease
• intimate
• gratify
• placate
• pacify
• conciliate
• comfort
• content
• console
• quiet
• mollify

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

Recent Examples of beg

There are also numerous examples of people who have been behind bars for so long that their seemingly endless sentence in and of itself begs the question of when is enough punishment enough? —Steve Zeidman, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025

But the only visible conflict in the studio came when Chappelle started the monologue by talking about how hard Michaels had begged him to come back. —Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025

Which begs the question: What could a Trump KenCen calendar look like? —Mimi Montgomery, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025

The shooting led to outrage in the East Colfax community with friends and residents begging the Denver Police Department and city officials to do something about crime in the neighborhood. —Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2025