Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

before|hand /b I fɔː ^r hænd/ ADV [usu ADV after v] If you do something beforehand , you do it earlier than a particular event. □  How could she tell beforehand that I was going to go out?

be|friend /b I fre nd/ (befriends , befriending , befriended ) VERB If you befriend someone, especially someone who is lonely or far from home, you make friends with them. □ [V n] The film's about an elderly woman and a young nurse who befriends her.

be|fud|dle /b I fʌ d ^ə l/ (befuddles , befuddling , befuddled ) VERB If something befuddles you, it confuses your mind or thoughts. □ [V n] …problems that are befuddling them. ●  be|fud|dled ADJ □  …his befuddled manner. □  …befuddled with drink.

beg /be g/ (begs , begging , begged )

1 VERB If you beg someone to do something, you ask them very anxiously or eagerly to do it. □ [V n to-inf] I begged him to come back to England with me. □ [V to-inf] I begged to be allowed to leave. □ [V + for ] We are not going to beg for help any more. □ [V n] They dropped to their knees and begged forgiveness. [Also V n with quote]

2 VERB [oft cont] If someone who is poor is begging , they are asking people to give them food or money. □ [V + for ] I was surrounded by people begging for food. □ [V ] There are thousands like him, begging on the streets and sleeping rough. □ [V n] She was living alone, begging food from neighbors.

3 PHRASE You say 'I beg to differ ' when you are politely emphasizing that you disagree with someone. [POLITENESS ]

4 PHRASE If you say that something is going begging , you mean that it is available but no one is using it or accepting it. □  There is other housing going begging in town.

5 PHRASE If you say that something begs a particular question , you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect. □  Hopewell's success begs the question: why aren't more companies doing the same?

6 PHRASE If you say that something begs a particular question , you mean that it assumes that the question has already been answered and so does not deal with it. [WRITTEN ] □  The research begs a number of questions.

7I beg your pardon → see pardon

be|gan /b I gæ n/ Began is the past tense of begin .

be|get /b I ge t/ (begets , begetting , begot , begotten )

1 VERB To beget something means to cause it to happen or be created. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Poverty begets debt.

2 VERB When a man begets a child, he becomes the father of that child. [OLD-FASHIONED ]

be|get|ter /b I ge tə ^r / (begetters ) N‑COUNT [with poss] The begetter of something has caused this thing to come into existence. [FORMAL ] □  He was the true begetter of modern youth culture.

beg|gar /be gə ^r / (beggars , beggaring , beggared )

1 N‑COUNT A beggar is someone who lives by asking people for money or food.

2 VERB If something beggars a person, country, or organization, it makes them very poor. □ [V n] He warned that lifting copyright restrictions could beggar the industry.

3 PHRASE If something beggars belief , it is impossible to believe it. If something beggars description , it is impossible to describe it. □  The statistics beggar belief. □  His courage beggars description.

be g|ging bowl (begging bowls ) N‑COUNT If a country or organization approaches other countries or organizations with a begging bowl , it asks them for money. [mainly BRIT ] □  He said earlier that he is not holding out a begging bowl.