begin
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start: The story begins with their marriage.
to come into existence; arise; originate: The custom began during the Civil War.
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.
to succeed to the slightest extent in (followed by an infinitive): The money won't even begin to cover expenses.
Origin of begin
1synonym study For begin
Other words for begin
Opposites for begin
Other definitions for Begin (2 of 2)
Me·na·chem [muh-nah-khuhm], /məˈnɑ xəm/, 1913–92, Israeli political leader, born in Poland: prime minister 1977–83; Nobel Peace Prize 1978.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use begin in a sentence
The number of new daily infections would almost immediately begin to decline.
When the distribution began, the numbers would be called, and one by one each person would be led through the aisles inside to pick groceries.
‘Can’t eat a gift card’: Rural food banks fight to put turkeys on the table | Kyle Swenson | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostIt began early in the fourth quarter, when Daryl Hayes could no longer feel his left arm.
A high school football coach had a heart attack during a game, but didn’t leave until it was done | Kyle Melnick | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostIt began when Scott McKenzie was furloughed from his job at Juniata College, a local liberal arts school.
It started as a macho bake-off between dads. Months later, they’ve delivered 15,000 cookies to essential workers. | Sydney Page | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostHe imagined himself having 12 to 15 seconds to talk after each play and began to adjust his thoughts to fit that timeline.
Inside Aqib Talib’s ‘raw’ but ‘real’ NFL announcing debut | Les Carpenter | November 19, 2020 | Washington Post
Thus begins an episode of The Mindy Project centered around a guy trying to have butt sex with his girlfriend.
Year of the Butt: How the Booty Changed the World in 2014 | Kevin Fallon | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNot long after the holiday presents are put away and the guests have gone home, another season begins.
The more we try to look through the gauze, the more it all begins to look like gauze.
Eventually, the mistletoe bush grows, blooms, and forms berries, and the cycle begins anew.
The opening of the battle narrative begins on—get this—page 266!
In contrast to the Widal, it begins to fade about the end of the second week, and soon thereafter entirely disappears.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddA child begins to make acquaintance with the images of things when set before a mirror.
Children's Ways | James SullyThe whole thing begins to have a jigsaw look, like a child's toy rack with wooden soldiers on it, expanding and contracting.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen LeacockSoon he begins to trot, and, when he thinks himself out of sight, bounds off like a greyhound.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. Ballantyne“Yes; it is the best way out of her troubles; she begins to see that,” he said, with a strange smile.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
British Dictionary definitions for begin (1 of 2)
/ (bɪˈɡɪn) /
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
to begin with in the first place
Origin of begin
1British Dictionary definitions for Begin (2 of 2)
/ (ˈbɛɡɪn) /
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with begin
In addition to the idioms beginning with begin
- beginning of the end, the
- begin to see daylight
- begin to see the light
- begin with
also see:
- charity begins at home
- (begin to) see the light
- to start (begin) with
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse