noun
Meaning 1
A person who begs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mendicant, panhandler, schnorrer, spanger, truant
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
beggar
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American: /ˈbɛɡɚ/
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbɛɡə/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛɡə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: B EH1 G ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A person suffering from extreme poverty.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: palliard, pauper, vagabond, bankrupt, beggar, indigent, insolvent, have not, lack-all, Lazarus, penny-father, poor
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A mean or wretched person; a scoundrel.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: colloquial, endearing, sometimes
Examples
- What does that silly beggar think he's doing?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hellraiser, rascal, scapegrace, agitator, bad boy, bad news, bear, beggar, bhoy, blackguard, booger, boot boy, bovver boy, brat, brawler, breedbate, buffoon, bugger, bully, charva, cutup, devil, elf, enfant terrible, firebrand, gadfly, hell-raiser, hood, hoodlum, hool, hoolie, hooligan, hothead, imp, inciter, initiator, instigator, jackanapes, joker, jokester, kindle-coal, kindle-fire, knave, lout, makebate, minx, mischief, mischief-maker, miscreant, ne'er-do-well, pixie, pot stirrer, practical joker, prankster, puck, punk, rabble rouser, rakeshame, rantipole, rapscallion, rogue, roly-poly, rowdy, ruffian, scamp, scoundrel, shit disturber, shitmonger, shit-stirrer, tearaway, thug, titivil, tough, troublemaker, undesirable, vandal, wag, wagpastie, wrangler, yob, yobbo, antimodel, bad guy, baddie, bastard, bounder, cad, cockatrice, coistril, evildoer, fustilarian, harlot, heavy, lidderon, makeshift, niding, nithing, scab, scum, scumbag, varlet, villain
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A minced oath for bugger.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
the last placer in Tycoon
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: card-games, games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: tycoon
verb
Meaning 6
To make a beggar of someone; impoverish.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: destitute, pauperize, ruin, beggar, depauperate, depauperize, embeggar, empoverish, immiserate, impoor, impoverish, poor, poverish
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To exhaust the resources of; to outdo or go beyond.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
a pauper who lives by begging
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: mendicant
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: pauper
Narrower terms: beggarman, beggarwoman, moocher, mooch, cadger, scrounger, panhandler, sannyasi, sannyasin, sanyasi, Lazarus
verb
Meaning 9
reduce to beggary
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pauperize, pauperise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: impoverish
verb
Meaning 10
be beyond the resources of
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- This beggars description!
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: defy, resist, refuse
History
Etymology
From Middle English beggere, beggare, beggar (“beggar”), from Middle English beggen (“to beg”), equivalent to beg + -ar. Alternative etymology derives Middle English beggere, beggare, beggar from Old French begart, originally a member of the Beghards, a lay brotherhood of mendicants in the Low Countries, from Middle Dutch beggaert (“mendicant”), with pejorative suffix (see -ard); the order is said to be named after the priest Lambert le Bègue of Liège (French for “Lambert the Stammerer”).
Across languages
Translations
274 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Albanian: lypës — person who begs
- Arabic: سَائِل (sāʔil) — person who begs
- Arabic: شحات (šaḥḥāt) — person who begs
- Arabic: شَحَّات (šaḥḥāt) — person who begs
- Arabic: سعاي (saʕʕāy) — person who begs
- Arabic: طلاب (ṭallāb) — person who begs
- Armenian: մուրացկան (muracʻkan) — person who begs
- Aromanian: tsiritor — person who begs
- Aromanian: tsiritonj — person who begs
- Aromanian: tsiripãni — person who begs
- Aromanian: dicunjar — person who begs
- Aromanian: proseac — person who begs
- Aromanian: pitaci — person who begs
- Aromanian: zicljar — person who begs
- Asturian: méndigu — person who begs
- Azerbaijani: dilənçi — person who begs
- Baluchi: پکیر (pakír) — person who begs
- Baluchi: فقیر (faqír) — person who begs
- Baluchi: پنڈوک (pinḍok) — person who begs
- Bashkir: хәйерсе (xəyerse) — person who begs
- Belarusian: жабра́к (žabrák) — person who begs
- Belarusian: жабра́чка (žabráčka) — person who begs
- Bengali: ভিক্ষুক (bhikkhuk) — person who begs
- Bengali: ফকির (phokir) — person who begs
- Bulgarian: про́сяк (prósjak) — person who begs
- Bulgarian: просяки́ня (prosjakínja) — person who begs
- Burmese: သူတောင်းစား (sutaung:ca:) — person who begs
- Catalan: mendicant — person who begs
- Catalan: captaire — person who begs
- Chinese Mandarin: 乞丐 (qǐgài) — person who begs
- Chinese Mandarin: 叫花子 (jiàohuāzi) — person who begs
- Chinese Mandarin: 花子 (huāzi) — person who begs
- Ngazidja Comorian: mmezi — person who begs
- Cornish: beggyer — person who begs
- Czech: žebrák — person who begs
- Czech: žebračka — person who begs
- Danish: tigger — person who begs
- Danish: tiggerske — person who begs
- Danish: betler — person who begs
- Danish: betlerske — person who begs
- Dutch: bedelaar — person who begs
- Dutch: bedelaarster — person who begs
- Dutch: bedelares — person who begs
- Esperanto: almozulo — person who begs
- Esperanto: almozulino — person who begs
- Esperanto: almozisto — person who begs
- Esperanto: almozistino — person who begs
- Estonian: kerjus — person who begs
- Faroese: biddari — person who begs
- Finnish: kerjäläinen — person who begs
- French: gueux — person who begs
- French: gueuse — person who begs
- French: mendiant — person who begs
- French: mendiante — person who begs
- French: quêteux — person who begs
- French: quêteuse — person who begs
- North Frisian: beedler — person who begs
- North Frisian: trögel — person who begs
- North Frisian: beedelmaan — person who begs
- Galician: mendigo — person who begs
- Galician: mendiga — person who begs
- Galician: mendicante — person who begs
- Georgian: მათხოვარი (matxovari) — person who begs
- German: Bettler — person who begs
- German: Bettlerin — person who begs
- German: Bettelmann — person who begs
- German: Bettelfrau — person who begs
- German: Bettelweib — person who begs
- German: Bettelbruder — person who begs
- German: Bettelschwester — person who begs
- German: Pracher — person who begs
- German: Pracherin — person who begs
- Gothic: 𐌱𐌹𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍅𐌰 (bidagwa) — person who begs
- Greek: επαίτης (epaítis) — person who begs
- Greek: ζητιάνος (zitiános) — person who begs
- Greek: ζητιάνα (zitiána) — person who begs
- Ancient Greek: ἐπαίτης (epaítēs) — person who begs
- Ancient Greek: προσαίτης (prosaítēs) — person who begs
- Hebrew: קַבּצָן (kabtsan) — person who begs
- Hindi: याचक (yācak) — person who begs
- Hindi: भिक्षुक (bhikṣuk) — person who begs
- Hindi: भिखमंगा (bhikhmaṅgā) — person who begs
- Hindi: भिखारी (bhikhārī) — person who begs
- Hindi: भिखारिन (bhikhārin) — person who begs
- Hungarian: koldus — person who begs
- Icelandic: betlari — person who begs
- Icelandic: beiningamaður — person who begs
- Indonesian: pengemis — person who begs
- Ingrian: kerrääjä — person who begs
- Ingrian: kerrääläin — person who begs
- Irish: bacach — person who begs
- Irish: sirtheoir — person who begs
- Italian: mendicante — person who begs
- Japanese: 乞食 — person who begs
- Khmer: អ្នកសុំទាន (nĕək som tiən) — person who begs
- Korean: 걸개 (geolgae) — person who begs
- Korean: 거지 (geoji) — person who begs
- Korean: 걸인 (georin) — person who begs
- Lao: ຄົນຂໍທານ (khon khǭ thān) — person who begs
- Latin: mendīcus — person who begs
- Latvian: ubags — person who begs
- Latvian: ubadze — person who begs
- Lithuanian: elgeta — person who begs
- Macedonian: питач (pitač) — person who begs
- Macedonian: питачка (pitačka) — person who begs
- Macedonian: просјак (prosjak) — person who begs
- Macedonian: просјачка (prosjačka) — person who begs
- Malay: pengemis — person who begs
- Malayalam: ഭിക്ഷക്കാരൻ (bhikṣakkāraṉ) — person who begs
- Malayalam: യാചകൻ (yācakaṉ) — person who begs
- Maltese: tallab — person who begs
- Manchu: ᡤᡳᠣᡥᠣᡨᠣ (giohoto) — person who begs
- Manx: jeirkagh — person who begs
- Marathi: भिकारी (bhikārī) — person who begs
- Middle English: beggere — person who begs
- Mongolian: гуйлгачин (gujlgačin) — person who begs
- Navajo: adókeedí — person who begs
- Norman: bédgeux — person who begs
- Norman: pouqu'teux — person who begs
- Norwegian Bokmål: tigger — person who begs
- Norwegian Bokmål: betler — person who begs
- Norwegian Bokmål: betlerske — person who begs
- Norwegian Nynorsk: tiggar — person who begs
- Pali: yācaka — person who begs
- Pali: याचक (yācaka) — person who begs
- Pali: ยาจก (yācaka) — person who begs
- Pannonian Rusyn: жобрак (žobrak) — person who begs
- Pannonian Rusyn: жобрачка (žobračka) — person who begs
- Dari: گَدَا (gadā) — person who begs
- Iranian Persian: گِدا (gedâ) — person who begs
- Plautdietsch: Pracha — person who begs
- Polish: żebrak — person who begs
- Polish: żebraczka — person who begs
- Portuguese: mendigo — person who begs
- Portuguese: mendiga — person who begs
- Portuguese: pedinte — person who begs
- Punjabi: ਮੰਗਤਾ (maṅgtā) — person who begs
- Punjabi: ਮੰਗਤੀ (maṅgtī) — person who begs
- Romani: čororo — person who begs
- Romanian: cerșetor — person who begs
- Romanian: cerșetoare — person who begs
- Russian: попроша́йка (poprošájka) — person who begs
- Russian: нищебро́д (niščebród) — person who begs
- Scottish Gaelic: baigear — person who begs
- Serbo-Croatian: про̏сја̄к — person who begs
- Serbo-Croatian: просја̀киња — person who begs
- Serbo-Croatian: prȍsjāk — person who begs
- Serbo-Croatian: prosjàkinja — person who begs
- Shan: ၵူၼ်းယွၼ်း (kúun yáun) — person who begs
- Sicilian: addumanneri — person who begs
- Sicilian: addumannera — person who begs
- Slovak: žobrák — person who begs
- Slovak: žobráčka — person who begs
- Slovene: berač — person who begs
- Slovene: beračica — person who begs
- Spanish: mendigo — person who begs
- Spanish: mendiga — person who begs
- Spanish: pordiosero — person who begs
- Spanish: mendicante — person who begs
- Spanish: limosnero — person who begs
- Spanish: gallofero — person who begs
- Sranan Tongo: begiman — person who begs
- Swahili: mwombaji — person who begs
- Swahili: ombaomba — person who begs
- Swedish: tiggare — person who begs
- Swedish: tiggerska — person who begs
- Swedish: bettlare — person who begs
- Swedish: bettlerska — person who begs
- Tagalog: pulubi — person who begs
- Tagalog: tanglo — person who begs
- Tajik: гадо (gado) — person who begs
- Tamil: பிச்சைக்காரன் (piccaikkāraṉ) — person who begs
- Tamil: பிச்சைக்காரர் (piccaikkārar) — person who begs
- Telugu: బిచ్చగాడు (biccagāḍu) — person who begs
- Telugu: బిచ్చగత్తె (biccagatte) — person who begs
- Thai: ขอทาน (kɔ̌ɔ-taan) — person who begs
- Tibetan: སྤྲང་པོ — person who begs
- Tocharian B: yaṣṣuca — person who begs
- Turkish: dilenci — person who begs
- Tuvan: диленчи (dilençi) — person who begs
- Ukrainian: жебра́к (žebrák) — person who begs
- Ukrainian: жебра́чка (žebráčka) — person who begs
- Urdu: بِھکاری (bhikārī) — person who begs
- Urdu: بِھکھاری (bhikhārī) — person who begs
- Urdu: یاچَک (yācak) — person who begs
- Urdu: بِھکْشُک (bhikśuk) — person who begs
- Uzbek: gadoy — person who begs
- Uzbek: tilanchi — person who begs
- Vietnamese: ăn xin — person who begs
- Vietnamese: ăn mày — person who begs
- Vietnamese: bị gậy — person who begs
- Volapük: lubegan — person who begs
- Volapük: hilubegan — person who begs
- Volapük: jilubegan — person who begs
- Volapük: lubeganef — person who begs
- Volapük: hilubeganef — person who begs
- Volapük: jilubeganef — person who begs
- Welsh: achenog — person who begs
- Yakut: умнаһыт (umnahït) — person who begs
- Zhuang: gaujvaq — person who begs
- Arabic: فَقِير (faqīr) — person suffering poverty
- Arabic: فَقِير (fagīr) — person suffering poverty
- Bashkir: ярлы (yarlı) — person suffering poverty
- Belarusian: бяда́к (bjadák) — person suffering poverty
- Belarusian: бяда́чка (bjadáčka) — person suffering poverty
- Belarusian: бе́дны (bjédny) — person suffering poverty
- Belarusian: бе́дная (bjédnaja) — person suffering poverty
- Belarusian: бядня́к (bjadnják) — person suffering poverty
- Belarusian: бядня́чка (bjadnjáčka) — person suffering poverty
- Bulgarian: бедня́к (bednják) — person suffering poverty
- Bulgarian: бедня́чка (bednjáčka) — person suffering poverty
- Bulgarian: сирома́х (siromáh) — person suffering poverty
- Bulgarian: сиромахки́ня (siromahkínja) — person suffering poverty
- Chinese Mandarin: 窮人 /穷人 (qióngrén) — person suffering poverty
- Czech: chudák — person suffering poverty
- Czech: chudačka — person suffering poverty
- Dutch: armoedzaaier — person suffering poverty
- Dutch: bedelaar — person suffering poverty
- Dutch: haveloze — person suffering poverty
- Finnish: keppikerjäläinen — person suffering poverty
- Finnish: köyhä — person suffering poverty
- Latvian: ubags — person suffering poverty
- Macedonian: питач (pitač) — person suffering poverty
- Macedonian: питачка (pitačka) — person suffering poverty
- Macedonian: просјак (prosjak) — person suffering poverty
- Macedonian: просјачка (prosjačka) — person suffering poverty
- Middle English: beggere — person suffering poverty
- Polish: biedak — person suffering poverty
- Polish: biedaczka — person suffering poverty
- Portuguese: mendigo — person suffering poverty
- Romani: čororo — person suffering poverty
- Romanian: sărac — person suffering poverty
- Russian: ни́щий (níščij) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: ни́щенка (níščenka) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: ни́щая (níščaja) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: бедня́к (bednják) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: бедня́чка (bednjáčka) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: нищебро́д (niščebród) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: нищебро́дка (niščebródka) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: бе́дный (bédnyj) — person suffering poverty
- Russian: бе́дная (bédnaja) — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: про̏сја̄к — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: просја̀киња — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: сиро̀ма̄х — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: сирома̀шица — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: prȍsjāk — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: prosjàkinja — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: siròmāh — person suffering poverty
- Serbo-Croatian: siromàšica — person suffering poverty
- Sicilian: disgrazziatu — person suffering poverty
- Sicilian: mischinu — person suffering poverty
- Sicilian: pòviru — person suffering poverty
- Slovak: chudák — person suffering poverty
- Spanish: mendigo — person suffering poverty
- Spanish: indigente — person suffering poverty
- Swedish: tiggare — person suffering poverty
- Tamil: ஏழை (ēḻai) — person suffering poverty
- Thai: ยาจก (yaa-jòk) — person suffering poverty
- Thai: ขอทาน (kɔ̌ɔ-taan) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: бідня́к (bidnják) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: бідня́чка (bidnjáčka) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: сірома́ха (siromáxa) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: сіро́ма (siróma) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: біда́к (bidák) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: біда́чка (bidáčka) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: бі́дний (bídnyj) — person suffering poverty
- Ukrainian: бі́дна (bídna) — person suffering poverty
- Chinese Mandarin: 小可憐 /小可怜 (xiǎokělián) — colloquial: A mean or wretched person
- Chinese Mandarin: 可憐蟲 /可怜虫 (kěliánchóng) — colloquial: A mean or wretched person
- Bulgarian: дока́рвам до про́сяшка тоя́га (dokárvam do prósjaška tojága) — to make a beggar of someone
- Dutch: ruïneren — to make a beggar of someone
- Finnish: köyhdyttää — to make a beggar of someone
- Finnish: köyhtyä — to make a beggar of someone
- Finnish: köyhdyttää — to exhaust the resources of
Real reading context