noun
beggar
BEH-guh
noun
1
A person who lives by asking others for money or food.
"A beggar sat outside the church every morning."
verb
1
To reduce someone to poverty, or to go far beyond what words or resources can describe or provide.
"The medical bills nearly beggared the family."
"The view from the summit beggars description."
How to Use Beggar
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who begs for a living; as a verb, to ruin financially or to be beyond description.
Common mistake
"Beggars belief/description" is a set phrase meaning something is almost too extreme to put into words.
Common pairings
beggars description
beggar someone
a beggar on the street
Word Forms
beggared past tense, beggars plural, beggars singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “beggar”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
A _____ sat outside the church every morning.
Etymology
From Middle English beggere, formed from "beg" plus the agent suffix "-ar/-er" — someone who begs.