beggar belief

verb

To appear implausible or unbelievable.

“It beggars belief to suppose that corporate policies can always pursue the best interests of a company.”

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beggar description
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Meanings

verbbeggar belief (third-person singular simple present beggars belief, present participle beggaring belief, simple past and past participle beggared belief)

present singular third person beggars belief · participle present beggaring belief · participle past beggared belief · past beggared belief

  1. UKintransitiveTo appear implausible or unbelievable.

    It beggars belief to suppose that corporate policies can always pursue the best interests of a company.

    3 more examples

    In Shakespeare's day boys or men took the part of women, and how characters like Lady Macbeth and Desdemona were adequately rendered by youths beggars belief.

    1907, Sidney Lee, Shakespeare and the Modern Stage

    "It beggars belief that delegates are given smartcards for free travel around the city, yet ordinary Glaswegians will still be forced to use a disjointed ticketing system."

    2021 November 17, “Network News: Anger at delegates' preferential treatment for Glasgow smartcards”, in RAIL, number 944, page 13

    […

    2022 September 23, 0:07 from the start, in As Putin goes for broke: What next after Ukraine annexation referendums? • FRANCE 24 English, spoken by François Picard, France 24, archived from the original on 27 Sep 2022

    Synonyms: beggar description

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo appear implausible or unbelievable.

Similar
beggar description
Also see
beggar description

Translations

Finnish olla vaikea uskoa, olla mahdotonta uskoa
  • olla vaikea uskoaTranslations
  • olla mahdotonta uskoaTranslations
French dépasser l'entendement, défier l'imagination
  • dépasser l'entendementTranslations
  • défier l'imaginationTranslations
Polish nie mieścić się w głowie, mącić rozum
  • nie mieścić się w głowieTranslations
  • mącić rozumTranslations
Spanish sobrepasar el entendimiento, rebasar la creencia
  • sobrepasar el entendimientoTranslations
  • rebasar la creenciaTranslations
  • sobreponerse a la credibilidadTranslations
  • parecer increíbleTranslations
  • resultar totalmente inverosímilTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

beggar belief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beggar%20belief

MLA

“beggar belief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beggar%20belief. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beggar belief,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beggar%20belief.

Source: beggar belief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.