importune

/im'pɔ:tju:n/

Thân thiện

He importunes his friend for a loan.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To beg or ask persistently and urgently: To make repeated, insistent, and often troublesome requests or demands of someone.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • The beggar would importune every passerby for money.
  • She felt she had to importune her boss for a raise, as he kept ignoring her initial requests.
  • Reporters importuned the celebrity for a comment as he left the courthouse.

Advanced Usage

• Importuning can describe a specific, often socially or legally problematic, level of persistent solicitation.
  • The city passed a law against importuning for business on public streets.
• The term can imply a degree of annoyance or harassment due to the persistence.
  • He was arrested for importuning after repeatedly following and asking strangers for favors.

Variants and Related Words

• Importunate (adj): Persistently demanding or urgent.
  • His importunate requests for attention became exhausting.
• Importunity (n): The quality of being importunate; persistent solicitation.
  • She finally agreed just to end his importunity.

Synonyms

• Beseech: To ask earnestly or urgently.
• Implore: To beg desperately.
• Pester: To trouble or annoy with frequent or persistent requests.
• Badger: To pester persistently.

Related Phrases

• To importune someone for something: The typical structure for making the request clear.
  • He importuned the council for funds to repair the bridge.

Related Idioms

• None that feature the verb "importune" as the core component. The word itself carries the idiomatic force of excessive, troublesome begging.

Học thuật

Verb

1. beg persistently and urgently
   • I importune you to help them

Từ đồng nghĩa

• insist