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.
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, 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.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English beginnen, Old English beginnan, equivalent to be- be- + -ginnan “to begin,” perhaps originally “to open,” akin to yawn
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My husband will begin Social Security at the same time, based on my employment record, with an estimated monthly benefit of $2,000.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Senators voted 86-12 to begin consideration of the bipartisan measure, clearing its first procedural hurdle but leaving further debate and a final vote still to come.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Press Metal is still projected to post record annual earnings over the coming years as its alumina plant, due to begin operations in early 2027, improves its cost structure, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The search will soon begin for a new right-hand man or woman for King Charles, with the current principal private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, set to step down next year.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
But how could the twins have gotten their hands on the book to begin with?
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
By rapidly distributing footage of troops entering the fortress, the military echoed a famous 1982 image showing then-defence minister Ariel Sharon and prime minister Menahem Begin at the same spot.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
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
Begin with minced onion, cooked slowly in the rendered fat until fully softened and translucent.
From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2026
Begin with the obvious fact: He’s got the vocal chops.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 24, 2025
Begin in the section to your left and, within each section, move from left to right and top to bottom.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Porsche AG backed its full-year guidance as the company’s strategic reset begins to yield positive results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Nowacki beat him to silver on Saturday and begins Wednesday's 200m event as favourite.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Veteran correspondents Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Norah O’Donnell and Jon Wertheim are also returning to the program, which begins its 58th season on Sept. 13.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
That is when the risk begins to extend beyond the megacap technology companies to the semiconductor businesses supplying the hardware behind their AI ambitions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Louisa and I started the same week at Bell,” Miss Genovese begins a loosely planned eulogy.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Then around last week, as the collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire sent energy prices higher, market talk of a July increase began to feed on itself—traders pricing in a move partly because other traders were.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The combined air operation came as President Donald Trump met with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington for their first in-person talks since the Middle East war began in late February.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Saudi Arabia began relying more on its Red Sea route after the Strait of Hormuz closed amid the war in Iran.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
With no competitive warm-ups before their Champions League journey began, Vrancken insists his players weren't ready.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
We sat there around a fire that began to feel good.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
When we arrived in al-Mughayyir that day, the confrontation at the Abu Alia compound had already begun.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Companies once viewed as abundant free-cash-flow generators are now being valued against a backdrop of much heavier investment spending, and in some cases their stock prices have already begun to reflect that change.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The world's tech giants have already begun slapping their own labels in anticipation of the rules.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Military officials in recent months have begun field testing the GM version, which is built off the heavy-duty version of the automaker’s Silverado pickup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“It’s not a bird, what? Too big to be a swan, eh? The pigs haven’t begun to grow wings, have they? Har har!”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
According to Kpler, average weekly crude flows fell to 2.57 million barrels a day in the week beginning July 20, down roughly 61% from 6.60 million barrels a day in the week beginning July 6.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"We may have a new chairman, but the old guard is now worried about where the economy has moved since the beginning of the year."
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
At the beginning of July, about 50 protesters gathered outside of the warehouse and called for the warehouse operator to “pack up and leave” after cleaning up its mess.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
With European competition beginning in December there are four Prem rounds across six weeks until January, before a 10-week league pause again in February and March for the Six Nations.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Papa sat down on my bed and said, “Suppose you start at the beginning, and tell me all about it. I’d like to know just what did go on down in those bottoms.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
