BEGGING Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

begging 1 of 3

adjective

as in insistent

Related Words

Relevance

begging

2 of 3

noun

as in pleading

Related Words

begging

3 of 3

verb

present participle of beg

as in petitioning

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner she begged her husband to give up extreme skiing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 begging

Adjective

Violators can be punished with fines up to $500 and three months in jail under one anti-begging law and with fines starting at up to $100 and 10 days in jail under a law against soliciting contributions from people in cars. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026

Noun

But this time, his begging sounds like more than an empty come-on. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026 Certainly plenty of people after Baudelaire have also navigated this conundrum, with (for the most part) less opium use and Freudian begging. — Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025 After a little begging and pleading, the parent could not say no, and the PetSmart trip turned into the family welcoming home a cat. — Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025 The world’s biggest deadbeat has passed the begging bowl again. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025 And a reminder that without the ability to strike, collective bargaining is just collective begging. — Tim Wright, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2025

Verb

Mahajan’s family has appeared at City Hall, in person and through videoconference calls from India, begging the city to finally end the rides. — Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Mahajan's family has appeared at City Hall, in person and through videoconference calls from India, begging the city to finally end the rides. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Therein, a young woman sits on her dead lover’s grave for a year, begging to see him again. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026 For her part, Maya has been begging to go back and see Harris, by far her favorite medical experience. — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026 These little light strips are just begging to be tinkered with. — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026 After decades of perspective-shifting literary retellings like Wide Sargasso Sea and The Mists of Avalon and the current trend of feminist Greek myths, Cathy is an enigma begging for some traumatic backstory to staple her flaws together. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 The Sarti Spritz has built a devoted following from Americans visiting Europe over the past few years, posting the bubbly concoction on TikTok and begging the company to bring it stateside. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026 Behind the scenes, Meta is having some of these calls being handled by humans in call centers, 404 Media reports, despite employees practically begging the company not to go through with the charade. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 23 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for begging

Adjective

Del Toro was insistent that the texture and grain of the original movie, which was shot on film, remain.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
In 2016, Senator Bernie Sanders shocked the Democratic establishment by running a close race against Hillary Clinton for the Party’s Presidential nomination, thanks to his insistent focus on income and wealth inequality.

— Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of insistent

Noun

Patriot stockpiles are low, largely because of the Iran war, and Ukraine has received only small numbers of them this year despite President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pleading.

— Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Patriot stockpiles are low, largely because of the Iran war, and Ukraine has received only small numbers of them this year despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pleading.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of pleading

Verb

The BoMar Club has received just under thirty thousand dollars from the opioid settlement, to fix its roof and bolster outreach efforts, and Coleman was petitioning the commission for more money to redo the floor, which sagged under our feet.

— Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
Anthropic may appeal today’s ruling, either by asking for an en banc review with all of the appeals court judges or by petitioning the Supreme Court.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of petitioning

Adjective

The finance chiefs ended the meeting without a joint communique, underscoring persistent divisions among members over the Middle East conflict, trade imbalances, and Russia's war with Ukraine.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
When deployed in numbers, Archimedes units form a resilient defense grid, creating persistent protection for forces, facilities, and critical infrastructure.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of persistent

Noun

Among the 105 people who were ultimately arrested, 75 are believed to have been deported to their home countries, according to local media, and 26 were released from ICE custody after their lawyers filed habeas corpus petitions.

— Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
In May, an Alberta court ruled that a separatist petition seeking to trigger the referendum violated Indigenous rights because the province had failed to consult First Nations.

— Sheena Rossiter, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of petition

Verb

During a recent town hall at the Ivy League school, one student raised the question of a Greek life ban, asking student organizers if taking that step might improve the culture on campus.

— Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Someone wants to hike; someone else would rather browse antique shops; a few people are already asking what’s for dinner.

— Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of asking

Noun

Seybolt said the steps to choose the alternative standardized test are similar to the screener selection process, with the commission soliciting bids and making a recommendation to the state Board of Education.

— Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice, 8 Sep. 2026
The man who was shot was possibly under the influence, according to the person who reported the soliciting.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2026

Definition of soliciting

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“Begging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/begging. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of begging

adjective

noun

verb

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