beget

verb

be·​get bi-ˈget 

bē-

begot bi-ˈgät 

bē-

also begat bi-ˈgat 

bē-

; begotten bi-ˈgä-tᵊn 

bē-

or begot; begetting

transitive verb

1

: to procreate as the father : sire

He died without begetting an heir.

2

: to produce especially as an effect or outgrowth

Violence only begets more violence.

begetter noun

Synonyms

• breed
• bring
• bring about
• bring on
• catalyze
• cause
• create
• do
• draw on
• effect
• effectuate
• engender
• generate
• induce
• invoke
• make
• occasion
• produce
• prompt
• result (in)
• spawn
• translate (into)
• work
• yield

Examples of beget in a Sentence

He died without begetting an heir.

one change in the natural environment will beget others

Recent Examples on the Web

These big business changes often beget confusion and uncertainty, both externally and internally. —Anne-Marie Rosser, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

Failing to respond with force to an aggressive action can invite greater provocation, but so, too, can responding with force beget further escalation. —Mona Yacoubian, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2024

Not all books written with this formula are propaganda, but clear-messaging fiction begets clearer-messaging reading. —Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

The time of the Tea Party, whose symbol was a snake, begat stories of Mitt Romney strapping the family dog Seamus to the roof of his car, and an adolescent Obama sampling dog meat while living in Indonesia. —Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English begeten, beyeten, going back to Old English begietan "to get, beget," from be- be- + gietan "to get entry 1"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

beget

verb

be·​get bi-ˈget 

begot -ˈgät  also begat -ˈgat  ; begotten -ˈgät-ᵊn  or begot; begetting

1

: to become the father of

2

: cause entry 2

begetter noun