beggar the question

Verb

beggar the question (third-person singular simple present beggars the question, present participle beggaring the question, simple past and past participle beggared the question)

1. To beg the question.
   • So this could and can be done but, of course, that beggars the question of putting these people on the civilian economy.1964, Hearings of the Special Subcommittee on Construction of Military Hospital Facilities of the Committee on Armed Services, No. 64, United States Congress, p. 9823.
   • Unfortunately, this definition beggars the question because we are left not knowing what it is that allows access to the sick role, but prefer not to seek it.1997, Issy Pilowsky, Abnormal Illness Behaviour, John Wiley, pages 16–17