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.

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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.

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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

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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

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begin Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing begin

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

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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

The institute has begun recruiting students for the 2026-27 academic year, and operations are set to commence in the next few months.

From BBC

Ads introducing the product implied that consumers would have to eat boiled cod to find a comparable protein-to-calorie ratio, and the company reinforced the point by eventually beginning to sell frozen cod filets.

From The Wall Street Journal

The carrier has seen heightened demand as well, recording five of its highest sales days in history since the conflict with Iran began.

From MarketWatch

The Lexington Herald-Leader was among the newspapers owned by the company in Washington where I began my career.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Europe begins to grapple with its need for greater growth, the question is whether its current energy policy can support necessary reindustrialization while meeting the massive power demands of a burgeoning AI economy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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