begin
verb (used without object)
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start.
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begin
1 American
[bih-gin]
/ bɪˈgɪn /
verb (used without object)
-
begins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
began,
past
-
begun,
past participle
-
beginning
present participle
-
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start.
The story begins with their marriage.
- Antonyms:
- end
-
to come into existence; arise; originate.
The custom began during the Civil War.
verb (used with object)
-
begins,
present (3rd person singular)
-
began,
past
-
begun,
past participle
-
beginning
present participle
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- initiate, inaugurate, institute
-
to succeed to the slightest extent in (followed by an infinitive).
The money won't even begin to cover expenses.
Begin
2
American
[bay-gin]
/ ˈbeɪ gɪn /
noun
begin
1
British
/ bɪˈɡɪn /
verb
-
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
2
British
/ ˈbɛɡɪn /
noun
begin
Idioms
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
beginsimple
-
beginssimple
-
have begunperfect
-
has begunperfect
-
am beginningprogressive
-
are beginningprogressive
-
is beginningprogressive
-
have been beginningperfect progressive
-
has been beginningperfect progressive
Past
-
begansimple
-
had begunperfect
-
was beginningprogressive
-
were beginningprogressive
-
had been beginningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of begin
First recorded before 1000; Middle English beginnen, Old English beginnan, equivalent to be- be- + -ginnan “to begin,” perhaps originally “to open,” akin to yawn
Explanation
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.
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:
“The world is crazy. It’s just war everywhere,” added Annour, who is about to begin a college course on sports science.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"We decided to begin negotiations for a free trade agreement, which includes increasing trade and investment, before the end of the year," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a joint address to reporters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Really, “flooded” doesn’t begin to quantify the deluge.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
Tesla plans to begin commissioning equipment for a planned facility in its hometown of Austin, Texas, in 2027, it told investors on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
When his list was complete, he should begin pointing to each number in turn.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Begin in the same starting position as exercise No. 3.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Begin with Kewpie mayonnaise — richer, silkier, faintly sweet, and unapologetically egg-forward.
From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026
Appeared in the April 10, 2026, print edition as 'Israel To Begin Direct Talks With Lebanon'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
The latest example is a report from Jefferies titled “From Asimov to the Assembly Line: Humanoid Robots Begin to Clock In.”
From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026
Begin with an introduction that establishes the purpose for all the information that’s to follow.
From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin
Trakata wasn’t created with neoperreo in mind; but with the same sweaty dance moves and the same people finding each other, it’s hard to tell where one stops and the other begins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"Sometimes it is the same day. They come back and we admit them and the story begins again."
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
A new report from S&P Global lays out the pressures that threaten to raise farmers’ costs: The throttling of the Strait of Hormuz has kept fertilizer shipments down as the Southern Hemisphere’s farming season begins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
"We will continue to hold Boeing to the highest safety standards as the company begins production of the 737 MAX-10."
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
My whole family dresses quickly as the sun begins to rise.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
Hundreds of Russian diplomats were expelled from countries in Europe and the US after the war began in 2022.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
At a local Caribbean cafe, complete with pastel floral tiles, plastic-covered couches, and the trills of guitar from “Pa’ Que Retozen” echoing through maxed-out speakers, he explains how it all began.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Finland's government has granted an operating licence for the world's first permanent repository for radioactive spent nuclear fuel, waste management company Posiva said Thursday, 22 years after construction began on the site.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Prosecutors say Chowdhury "exploited" the work-from-home culture which began during the Covid-19 pandemic to hide his multiple jobs and took sick leave from some employers to manage the workload.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
It must have been 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning that the train at last began to move.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
His view is that something else has begun to unfold.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
The self-employed graphic designer also struggled to find work as the "industry had begun to decline", which "contributed to his sadness", his partner of 32 years said.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The research team has already begun another investigation comparing different fluids used during hydrodissection, including saline and dextrose, a form of sugar.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Like other communities around the country, residents in Doral have begun exchanging messages to alert one another to the presence of immigration agents or to someone being detained.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
It took three years, but in 1983, Crisafulli found evidence that the first microscopic plants had begun to colonize the lake.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Since the beginning of the month, Iran has stepped up its strikes on vessels in the Persian Gulf area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“We are indeed looking at the beginning of a longer, structural change in how global oil gets distributed,” McManus at National Center for Energy Analytics told MarketWatch on Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
He also thanked those who have sent him messages of support and added: "This is only the beginning of my new journey."
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
He landed on the IL the next day and returned at the beginning of September in a pinch-hitting role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Charlie asked me, beginning to rifle through Tansy’s eats.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
