begin
verb (used without object)
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start.
begin
1 American
[bih-gin]
/ bɪˈgɪn /
verb (used without object)
-
begins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
began,
past
-
begun,
past participle
-
beginning
present participle
-
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start.
The story begins with their marriage.
- Antonyms:
- end
-
to come into existence; arise; originate.
The custom began during the Civil War.
verb (used with object)
-
begins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
began,
past
-
begun,
past participle
-
beginning
present participle
-
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of (some action).
Begin the job tomorrow.
-
to originate; be the originator of.
civic leaders who began the reform movement.
- Synonyms:
- initiate, inaugurate, institute
-
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
begin
1
British
/ bɪˈɡɪn /
verb
-
to start or cause to start (something or to do something)
-
to bring or come into being for the first time; arise or originate
-
to start to say or speak
-
(used with a negative) to have the least capacity (to do something)
he couldn't begin to compete with her
-
in the first place
Begin
2
British
/ ˈbɛɡɪn /
noun
begin
Idioms
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
beginsimple
-
beginssimple
-
have begunperfect
-
has begunperfect
-
am beginningprogressive
-
are beginningprogressive
-
is beginningprogressive
-
have been beginningperfect progressive
-
has been beginningperfect progressive
Past
-
begansimple
-
had begunperfect
-
was beginningprogressive
-
were beginningprogressive
-
had been beginningperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
To begin is to start. When it begins to snow, every flake looks pretty, drifting gently down from the dark sky. When you begin something, you go ahead with its first part or stage — you can begin the day with a good attitude, or begin a very long book over and over again, always falling asleep before you get to chapter two. You also might begin a journey by lacing up your hiking boots. Things also begin when they have a specific element as a first part, as when a word begins with the letter T.
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.
See Examples For:
EsDeeKid's tour will begin in North America in September, before ending in December with two hometown shows in Liverpool.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The antitrust trial against Live Nation—which also owns Ticketmaster, a combination that draws relentless consumer criticism—was set to begin March 2, just days away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
“You don’t need to be all things to all people, and too often brands are chasing trends or limited-time offerings that distract their crew from focusing on what made them successful to begin with.”
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Rough surfaces provide more places for droplets to begin forming, but those same structures can trap the droplets and make them difficult to remove.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
“Boozhoo,” I begin, my shaky voice ringing out.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Begin with Magic Johnson and Billie Jean King, part of the group that owns the Dodgers and Sparks.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Appeared in the April 10, 2026, print edition as 'Israel To Begin Direct Talks With Lebanon'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Begin with a modest roux — butter and flour, cooked together until they smell faintly nutty.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026
The latest example is a report from Jefferies titled “From Asimov to the Assembly Line: Humanoid Robots Begin to Clock In.”
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
Begin by stressing play and participation over performance.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Tesla's recall involves 2.9 million domestically-made units of its Model 3 and Model Y electric cars and begins on September 25.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The results suggest that pesticides may continue accumulating in a colony even after exposure begins, especially once worker bees are no longer able to remove contaminants as effectively.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Measures are being put in place to discourage young people from remaining at the site once the new school term begins.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
The next round of federal campaign fundraising data will not be available until mid-October, just before early voting begins.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
He might have visited them already, in fact, but I won’t have a way of checking in with him before my evening shift begins.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Some recalls were effective immediately, while others began over the weekend and on Monday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
At the time of the crossing, the dinghy set a record for the largest number of people brought over in a single boat since dinghy arrivals began on the south coast in recent years.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
During the Renaissance, Italians refined fencing into its modern form, and soon fencing schools began popping up all over Europe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The previous owner began to expand in the 1990s, adding picnic tables and a larger deck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
But as the days passed I began to discover a subtle danger.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The U.S. has begun deporting immigrants to Liberia, officials in the West African country said, part of President Trump’s wider plan to send migrants to third-party countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Work has begun on removing the carriages of the train that derailed near Lewes with 150 people on board.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
I had just begun to lilt toward sleep when my phone buzzed.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
In some parts of the country—especially the Midwest and the Northeast—the declines have already begun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Young people had begun embracing and feeling proud of Negro history and culture rather than running away from or being ashamed of it.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
"That is why the United States has put forward a strong resolution that provides for four key things," beginning with "expanding the arms embargo across the entire territory of Sudan," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The clearest patterns appeared for screen exposure during infancy and near the beginning of formal schooling, indicating that these periods may be particularly sensitive for cognitive development.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
They’d been introduced when Boobie was in the seventh or eighth grade — and just beginning to blow up on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The home side could not have wished for a more straightforward beginning to a new era as they look to move on from the chaos of the past year.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
"Sancho, Sancho, you're beginning to sound like your master. Of course we understand. That's why we want both of you to go back home. There are wrongs to right at home, too," the priest said.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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.
