beginning

[ bih-gin-ing ]
See synonyms for: beginningbeginnings on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. an act or circumstance of entering upon an action or state:the beginning of hostilities.

  2. the point of time or space at which anything begins: the beginning of the Christian era; the beginning of the route.

  1. the first part: the beginning of the book; the beginning of the month.

  2. Often beginnings. the initial stage or part of anything: the beginnings of science.

  3. origin; source; first cause: A misunderstanding about the rent was the beginning of their quarrel.

adjective
  1. just formed: a beginning company.

  2. first; opening: the beginning chapters of a book.

  1. basic or introductory: beginning Spanish.

  2. learning the fundamentals: a beginning swimmer.

Origin of beginning

1
First recorded in 1175–1225, beginning is from the Middle English word beginnung, begonning. See begin, -ing1

Other words for beginning

Opposites for beginning

Words Nearby beginning

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beginning in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beginning

beginning

/ (bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ) /


noun
  1. a start; commencement

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

  1. the place where or time when something starts

  2. an origin; source

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