Beggared
a person who begs alms or lives by begging.
a penniless person.
a wretched fellow; rogue:
the surly beggar who collects the rents.
a child or youngster (usually preceded by little):
a sudden urge to hug the little beggar.
to reduce to utter poverty; impoverish:
The family had been beggared by the war.
to cause one’s resources of or ability for (description, comparison, etc.) to seem poor or inadequate:
The costume beggars description.
Contemporary Examples
Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush & the Politics of Exhaustion Nick Gillespie April 6, 2014
Historical Examples
On the Kentucky Frontier James Otis
The History of John Bull John Arbuthnot
Ivanhoe Walter Scott
Five Tales John Galsworthy
The Heart of a Woman Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy
Tony Butler Charles James Lever
The Disowned, Complete Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Nell, of Shorne Mills Charles Garvice
The Book of Susan Lee Wilson Dodd
noun
a person who begs, esp one who lives by begging
a person who has no money or resources; pauper
(ironic, jocular, mainly Brit) fellow: lucky beggar!
verb (transitive)
to be beyond the resources of (esp in the phrase to beggar description)
to impoverish; reduce to begging
n.
v.
Read Also:
- Beggary
a state or condition of utter poverty. beggars collectively. a place lived in or frequented by beggars. Historical Examples Beethoven’s Letters 1790-1826, Volume 1 of 2 Lady Wallace Erdgeist (Earth-Spirit) Frank Wedekind The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 5, No. 28, February, 1860 Various Diderot and the Encyclopdists John Morley Stories of the Badger State Reuben Gold […]
- Beggaring
a person who begs alms or lives by begging. a penniless person. a wretched fellow; rogue: the surly beggar who collects the rents. a child or youngster (usually preceded by little): a sudden urge to hug the little beggar. to reduce to utter poverty; impoverish: The family had been beggared by the war. to cause […]
- Beggarly
like or befitting a beggar. meanly inadequate: How does he manage on such a beggarly salary? Historical Examples Dreamers of the Ghetto I. Zangwill The Book of Humorous Verse Various With the Dyaks of Borneo F. S. Brereton Chance Joseph Conrad The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume II (of 2) Florence A. […]
- Beggars can't be choosers
beggars can’t be choosers Those in dire need must be content with what they get. For example, The cheapest model will have to do—beggars can’t be choosers. This expression was familiar enough to be included in John Heywood’s 1546 collection of proverbs.
- Begged
to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg alms; to beg forgiveness. to ask (someone) to give or do something; implore: He begged me for mercy. Sit down, I beg you. to take for granted without basis or justification: a statement that begs the very point we’re disputing. to […]