Showing results for "beginning"

• present participle of begin.

beginning

American  

[bih-gin-ing] / bɪˈgɪn ɪŋ /

noun

• beginnings
  plural

1. an act or circumstance of entering upon an action or state.

   the beginning of hostilities.

   Synonyms:

   inception, inauguration, initiation

   Antonyms:

   ending

2. the point of time or space at which anything begins.

   the beginning of the Christian era; the beginning of the route.

   Synonyms:

   emergence, onset, outset, commencement, start

   Antonyms:

   end

3. the first part.

   the beginning of the book; the beginning of the month.

4. Often beginnings. the initial stage or part of anything.

   the beginnings of science.

5. origin; source; first cause.

   A misunderstanding about the rent was the beginning of their quarrel.

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adjective

1. just formed.

   a beginning company.

2. first; opening.

   the beginning chapters of a book.

3. basic or introductory.

   beginning Spanish.

4. learning the fundamentals.

   a beginning swimmer.

beginning British  

/ bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ /

noun

1. a start; commencement

2. (often plural) a first or early part or stage

3. the place where or time when something starts

4. an origin; source

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Usage

Spelling tips for beginning The word beginning is hard to spell for two reasons. It doesn't simply combine the base word (begin) with the suffix -ing, as is done in other easy-to-remember words that end in -ing, like starting and talking. Also, it can be tempting to use a double g (beggining) instead of a double n. How to spell beginning: To spell beginning, you take the base word begin and add an n at the end. Then, add the suffix -ing. Why do you need an extra n? Because you should begin right Now.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• beginnings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of beginning

First recorded in 1175–1225, beginning is from the Middle English word beginnung, begonning. See begin, -ing ¹

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Explanation

The beginning is the first part or section of something, or the place where it starts. You watch the opening credits at the beginning of a movie. "In the beginning," says the beginning of the Bible, "God created the heavens and the earth." Beginning can mean the act of starting something (the day after Thanksgiving is the beginning of the Christmas shopping season), or it can mean the time when something will start (Beginning at noon, all Christmas ornaments will go on sale.) Beginning can also refer to the origin of something, its root or source, as the beginning of the Mississippi River is Lake Itasca, Minnesota.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beginning beginnings

The Epstein report is likely just the beginning.

From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026

Burnham alongside the Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, are beginning conversations which, they hope, will help detoxify the debate about reparations.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Daphna Renan: I started to think about this at the beginning of the Obama administration.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

Periods in which Wall Street’s favorite stocks underperform so dramatically are rare, and they typically occur when the backdrop for corporate earnings, or the broader economy, is beginning to shift, Kantrowitz and his team said.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

She was beginning to feel her power now.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

The observations indicate that both hot and cold TNOs have maintained color patterns linked to their formation, with surprisingly little apparent change since the solar system's beginnings.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Later in the week, the women took part in a wellness session focused on new beginnings, an experience Bridget described as particularly meaningful for the group.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

But underneath what seems promising, the beginnings of empathy and maybe healing, there’s something performative and calculated in this fast bond.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Their performance told the story of the group's journey, from its beginnings 27 years ago to where they are now with 200 members.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Thus, in principle, belief in magic ought to decline with improvements in technology, particularly medicine, and the beginnings of insurance policies and other methods of reducing the impact of unforeseen disasters.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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Related Words

• birth
• creation
• dawn
• inauguration
• inception
• introduction
• onset
• opening
• outset
• starting point
• top

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