Meaning & use
beseech
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Meanings
verbtransitiveformalliterary
To ask someone for something in an anxious, deeply sincere way.
Grammar: Takes a person as object: beseech him to stay.
Patterns
- beseech someone to do something
- beseech someone for something
She besought the guard to let her see her son.
I beseech you to reconsider your decision.
The villagers beseeched the king for mercy.
verbtransitivereligionarchaic
To make an emotional request in the form of a prayer or appeal.
Grammar: Often directed to God or a ruler.
Patterns
- beseech someone for something
The pilgrims beseeched heaven for rain.
He knelt and beseeched God for forgiveness.
Word forms
| third person singular | beseeches |
|---|---|
| past tense | besought or beseeched |
| past participle | besought or beseeched |
| -ing form | beseeching |
Common combinations
- beseech someone to
- I beseech you to spare him.
- beseech for mercy
- The prisoner beseeched the judge for mercy.
- beseeching look
- The dog gave a beseeching look at the biscuit tin.
- beseeching eyes
- Her beseeching eyes made him change his mind.
Synonyms and how they differ
- implore
- Implore is just as strong but a little more common in modern writing than beseech.
- beg
- Beg is the everyday word and can be casual, whereas beseech sounds formal and solemn.
- entreat
- Entreat suggests a more persuading, courteous plea, while beseech is more desperate.
- plead
- Plead emphasizes making an emotional case, often to a judge or someone in authority.
Opposites
Word family
- beseeching adjective
- showing an urgent plea
- beseechingly adverb
- in an urgent, begging way
- besought verb
- the past tense of beseech
- seek verb
- the root verb meaning to look for
Commonly confused: beseech or beseige?
beseech vs beseige
The correct word is besiege, which means to surround a place with armed forces. Beseech is to beg.
Practice
In the old play, the servant fell to his knees and ___ the lord to pardon his son.
Choose one answer.
Beseeched means begged earnestly. Besieged means surrounded with force, and behaved and bestowed do not take this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beseech”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.