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# beggar

noun (a beggar, beggars); verb (beggar, beggars, beggared — rare)

«beggar» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A person who is very poor and lives by asking people for money or food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#m1)
2. (UK, informal, old-fashioned) A person, used kindly or crossly, as in "lucky beggar" or "you little beggar". [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#m2)
3. (verb, formal) To make very poor. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#m3)

### In the lessons

In stories and fairy tales: a beggar at the palace gate (The Prince and the Pauper). In everyday talk: "beggars can't be choosers" means if you need help you must accept what you get. Phrases: beggars can't be choosers, beggar belief (be impossible to believe).

### Examples

- The beggar sat outside the station. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#x1)
- The prince swapped clothes with a beggar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#x2)
- Beggars can't be choosers, so I ate the cold toast. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#x3)
- You lucky beggar, you won again! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#x4)
- It beggars belief that he forgot his own birthday party. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#x5)
- The king gave a coin to the beggar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#x6)
- "Will you play again?" asked the beggar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/#x7)

### Note

Spelling: -ar, not -er. Calling a real person a beggar can be unkind; people now say "a homeless person" or "someone asking for money". The informal "lucky beggar" is mild, not rude.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «beggar» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/beggar/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«beggar» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/beggar.html) on Mova free.