beg

/ˈbeg/

Middle English beggen

verb

  1. to ask for as a charity

  2. to ask earnestly for : entreat

  3. to require as necessary or appropriate

begging food from strangers

beg entreat beseech implore supplicate adjure importune mean to ask urgently. beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking. entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

abbreviation

  1. begin; beginning

verb

  1. to ask to be excused from something

  2. to ask or gain permission to be excused from