Idiom
beg to differ
Meaning
To offer an opposing opinion humbly.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I beg to differ with your opinion on that movie.”
“While my boss thinks the new project is perfect, I beg to differ and suggest a few changes.”
“Although the committee reached a consensus, the lead researcher felt compelled to beg to differ, citing several flaws in their methodology.”
Examples
simple
“I beg to differ with your opinion on that movie.”
contextual
“While my boss thinks the new project is perfect, I beg to differ and suggest a few changes.”
complex
“Although the committee reached a consensus, the lead researcher felt compelled to beg to differ, citing several flaws in their methodology.”
Origin
From beg, in the sense of pleading with another for help or indulgence, combined with the infinitive to differ. The construction functions as a formal request for permission to hold an opposing view, framing a disagreement as a social petition.
Key words
Related idioms
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