begin
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.be·gin
verb \bi-ˈgin, bē-\ be·gan \-ˈgan\ be·gun \-ˈgən\ be·gin·ning
Definition of BEGIN
intransitive verb
1
: to do the first part of an action : go into the first part of a process : start
2
a : to come into existence : arise b : to have a starting point
3
: to do or succeed in the least degree <I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am>
transitive verb
1
: to set about the activity of : start
2
— to begin with
: as the first thing to be considered
See Examples of BEGIN
- They will begin construction on the new school soon.
- I got the job and I begin work on Monday!
- She'll begin the lecture at 10.
- He plans to begin the project later this week.
- They both began their careers at the local newspaper.
- The university began accepting applications in November.
- I had just begun eating when the phone rang.
- She interrupted as soon as I began to speak.
- Now that I've begun, I'll go on till I finish.
- I began the quilt last month.
Origin of BEGIN
Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan; akin to Old High German biginnan to begin, Old English onginnan
First Known Use: before 12th century
Related to BEGIN
Synonym Discussion of BEGIN
begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation. begin , start , and commence are often interchangeable. begin, opposed to end, is the most general <begin a trip> <began dancing>. start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages <the work started slowly>. commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start <commence firing> <commenced a conversation>. initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue <initiated diplomatic contacts>. inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance <the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine>. usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate <ushered in a period of economic decline>.
Rhymes with BEGIN
add-in, again, akin, all-in, backspin, bearskin, Benin, blow in, Boleyn, bowfin, break-in, bring in, buckskin, build in, built-in, burn-in, butt in, calfskin, call in, call-in, capeskin, cash in, cave-in, chagrin, check in, check-in, chime in, chip in, clothespin, come in, coonskin, crankpin, cut in, deerskin, dig in, doeskin, do in, draw in, drive-in, drop in, duckpin, dustbin, edge in, fade-in, fall in, fill in, fill-in, foreskin, Fuxin, get in, give in, goatskin, go in, Guilin, hairpin, hand in, hang in, Harbin, has-been, headpin, herein, horn in, Jilin, kick in, kidskin, kingpin, lambskin, lay in, lead-in, lie-in, linchpin, live-in, lived-in, lobe-fin, locked-in, log in, look-in, love-in, moleskin, move in, munchkin, Nankin, ninepin, no-win, oilskin, phone-in, pigskin, pinyin, pitch in, plug-in, plugged-in, pull in, punch in, pushpin, put in, rub in, ruin, run in, run-in, saimin, scarfpin, scarfskin, sealskin, send in, set in, sharkskin, shear pin, sheepskin, shoo-in, shut-in, sidespin, sign in, sit-in, sleep in, sleep-in, sloe gin, snakeskin, sock in, stand in, stand-in, step in, stickpin, suck in, swanskin, swear in, swim fin, tail fin, tailspin, take in, tap-in, teach-in, tenpin, therein, tholepin, threadfin, throw in, tie-in, tiepin, tip-in, toe-in, Tonkin, topspin, trade in, trade-in, tune in, tuned-in, Turin, turn in, unpin, walk-in, wear thin, weigh in, wherein, whip in, wineskin, win-win, within, woolskin, work in, wrist pin, write-in, Yeltsin
Be·gin
biographical name \ˈbā-gin\Definition of BEGIN
Me*na*chem \mə-ˈnä-ḵəm\ 1913–1992 prime min. of Israel (1977–83)
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