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

• create
• cause
• generate
• bring
• produce
• prompt
• do
• spawn

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

Even after 30 years, during which The Golden Compass became a trilogy, His Dark Materials, which begat a second trilogy, The Book of Dust—collectively selling something like 50 million copies—Pullman’s books retain an idiosyncratic spikiness. —Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025

The age-old value proposition of indie filmmaking — that landing acceptance to a prestigious festival begets a sale to a distributor that pays off your debts and puts your movie in front of a massive audience — is flimsier than ever. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2025

As Southerners always say, kindness begets kindness. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 20 Sep. 2025

Metroid and Castlevania begot the Metroidvania; hell, today, practically every game of any high difficulty gets roped in with soulslikes (referencing Dark Souls). —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for beget

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette
• cadet

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