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

But it is Monet himself who is primarily responsible for these alternative facts, as he dictated the terms of his life story from the beginning of his public career.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Nunez has said that since the beginning of the high-school protest movement police had acted with "the greatest proportionality".

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

It meant Jobe's place in the starting XI was far from secure at the beginning of this season.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

At the beginning, we were none of us technological visionaries, but I at least had been online for a while, since even before the web itself existed.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026

Threshing machines had been wooden-sided from the beginning.

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

From its humble beginnings in the 1980s, the festival has grown to become what organisers have called Europe's largest Halloween celebration.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

It is their way of mocking the Real Madrid manager's humble beginnings.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 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

I looked at the side of his face: petulant, irritable, glasses low on the tip of his sharp little nose and the beginnings of jowls at his jawline.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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Related Words

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

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