Basic Details
Word: Beggar
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who lives by asking other people for money or food, usually because they are very poor.
Synonyms: pauper, mendicant
How to Spell Beggar
Syllables: beg - gar
Tricky part: The g is doubled after the short e, and the ending is ar, not er. Many students write begger because so many words for people, such as teacher and singer, end in er.
Watch out for: begger, begar, beggor
Memory tip: Write beg, double the g, and finish with ar, the same ending as liar: a beggar and a liar both end in -ar.
Idioms and Phrases
- beggars can't be choosers: when you are given something you need, you cannot be fussy about it. Example: "The only seat left was near the door, but beggars can't be choosers, so I took it."
Usage Examples
Example 1: An old beggar at the railway station thanked us for the bananas we gave him.
Example 2: After the flood washed away his shop, the trader feared he would end up a beggar.
Example 3: In many folk tales a king dresses as a beggar to see how his people really live.
Fun Fact
Beggar can also be a verb. When something beggars description, it is so amazing or so shocking that words are not enough to describe it.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. beggar 2. destetute 3. pavment 4. charety
a) having no money, food or home
b) a person who lives by asking others for money or food
c) a raised path for people at the side of a road
d) help given freely to people in need
Show answer
b) a person who lives by asking others for money or food. Destitute has an i after the first t, pavement keeps its e and charity ends -ity, so beggar is the only correct spelling.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Outside the old fort in Gwalior, a blind begger played a wooden flute while the tourists climbed the steps.
a) tourists
b) climbed
c) wooden
d) begger
Show answer
d) begger. After the double g comes ar, the same two letters that end collar and dollar.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The rich merchant gave his coat to a shivering rgaebg on the bridge.
a) badger
b) begged
c) bargain
d) beggar
Show answer
d) beggar. Count the g's: the jumble has two of them, and only beggar has two g's with b, e, a and r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which word is closest in meaning to beggar?
a) broker
b) vendor
c) miser
d) pauper
Show answer
d) pauper
2. People say 'beggars can't be choosers' when someone ____.
a) has far too many choices
b) refuses to share with others
c) must accept what they are offered
d) asks for more than they need
Show answer
c) must accept what they are offered
