beginning
Americannoun
-
an act or circumstance of entering upon an action or state.
the beginning of hostilities.
- Synonyms:
- inception, inauguration, initiation
- Antonyms:
- ending
-
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
-
the first part.
the beginning of the book; the beginning of the month.
-
Often beginnings. the initial stage or part of anything.
the beginnings of science.
-
origin; source; first cause.
A misunderstanding about the rent was the beginning of their quarrel.
adjective
-
just formed.
a beginning company.
-
first; opening.
the beginning chapters of a book.
-
basic or introductory.
beginning Spanish.
-
learning the fundamentals.
a beginning swimmer.
noun
-
a start; commencement
-
(often plural) a first or early part or stage
-
the place where or time when something starts
-
an origin; source
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
Etymology
Origin of beginning
First recorded in 1175–1225, beginning is from the Middle English word beginnung, begonning. See begin, -ing 1
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.
Vocabulary lists containing beginning
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 3
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Common Core Grade 6, List 3
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Common Core Grade 5, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
PayPal on Tuesday said Lores’s strategy is beginning to bear fruit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 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
US lawmakers gathered beneath the Capitol dome Tuesday to honor Republican senator Lindsey Graham, beginning a day of mourning set to draw President Donald Trump and world leaders to Washington.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
My feet were wet, beginning to freeze, so I changed my socks and boots and we ran up the road, spreading the news through the village.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Members of Trump's cabinet, South Carolina lawmakers and other guests also assembled for the ceremony, and to listen to tributes to Graham's military service and more than three decades in Congress after humble beginnings.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Others, like “Obsession,” catapult from modest beginnings into an echelon of popularity that not even the academics and historians could’ve foreseen.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The beginnings of “Stuart” trace back to when “Big Bang Theory” was wrapping up its run and Lorre casually asked Sussman to keep him posted on what he was doing next, but didn’t elaborate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Its beginnings came not from the world of the occult but that of upper-class entertainment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
On its first pages were the beginnings of a comic, the pages divided into squares and rectangles.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
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.
