Begin Definition & Meaning

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    • Synonyms begin 1 American [bih-gin] / bɪˈgɪn /

    verb (used without object)

    began, begun, beginning

    1. to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start.

      The story begins with their marriage.

      Antonyms: end

    2. to come into existence; arise; originate.

      The custom began during the Civil War.

    verb (used with object)

    began, begun, beginning

    1. to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of (some action).

      Begin the job tomorrow.

    2. to originate; be the originator of.

      civic leaders who began the reform movement.

      Synonyms: initiate, inaugurate, institute

    3. to succeed to the slightest extent in (followed by an infinitive).

      The money won't even begin to cover expenses.

    Begin 2 American [bey-gin] / ˈbeɪ gɪn /

    noun

    1. Menachem 1913–92, Israeli political leader, born in Poland: prime minister 1977–83; Nobel Peace Prize 1978.

    begin 1 British / bɪˈɡɪn /

    verb

    1. to start or cause to start (something or to do something)

    2. to bring or come into being for the first time; arise or originate

    3. to start to say or speak

    4. (used with a negative) to have the least capacity (to do something)

      he couldn't begin to compete with her

    5. in the first place

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Begin 2 British / ˈbɛɡɪn /

    noun

    1. Menachem (məˈnɑːkɪm). 1913–92, Israeli statesman, born in Poland. In Palestine after 1942, he became a leader of the militant Zionists; prime minister of Israel (1977–83); Nobel peace prize jointly with Sadat 1978. In 1979 he concluded the Camp David treaty with Anwar Sadat of Egypt

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 begin Idioms

      More idioms and phrases containing begin

      • (begin to) see the light
      • charity begins at home
      • to start (begin) with

    Related Words

    Begin, commence, initiate, start (when followed by noun or gerund) refer to setting into motion or progress something that continues for some time. Begin is the common term: to begin knitting a sweater. Commence is a more formal word, often suggesting a more prolonged or elaborate beginning: to commence proceedings in court. Initiate implies an active and often ingenious first act in a new field: to initiate a new procedure. Start means to make a first move or to set out on a course of action: to start paving a street.

    Etymology

    Origin of begin

    First recorded before 1000; Middle English beginnen, Old English beginnan, equivalent to be- be- + -ginnan “to begin,” perhaps originally “to open,” akin to yawn

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    “That was the thrill for us, of knowing that when we began to tell this story, we knew we had 12 episodes to tell it inside, rather than just six,” Hiddleston says.

    From Los Angeles Times

    The Antonine Plague, perhaps a form of smallpox, had begun to ravage the empire, as it would for more than a decade.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    AI agents, which are the independent bots that can take action on behalf of humans, are becoming a growing medium by which shoppers are beginning to cede control over what and how they buy online.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    The protests began with merchants demonstrating economic conditions two weeks ago, growing into a nationwide revolt on Jan. 8 against the regime.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    When the treatment was injected into tumors, macrophages quickly absorbed the nanoparticles and began producing proteins that identify cancer cells.

    From Science Daily

    Related Words

    • commence
    • create
    • do
    • establish
    • found
    • go ahead
    • go into
    • inaugurate
    • initiate
    • introduce
    • launch
    • lead
    • make
    • open
    • prepare
    • produce
    • set up
    • start
    • undertake

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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