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 of beget

• 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

Yes, athletics beget injuries, no matter the age or level. —Grace Perry, Outside, 1 Jan. 2026

Yet Sorry, Baby doesn’t elide Agnes’s trauma, either; it is punctuated with moments—from Agnes answering a jury duty summons to a third-act revelation that begets a panic attack—to indicate, in no uncertain terms, that she’s been affected on a cellular level. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 29 Dec. 2025

His eldest son—William, of course, though he is not immediately identified as such—defrays his father’s debts by tutoring Agnes’s younger brothers in Latin, an arrangement that begets many reversals of fortune. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025

Success begot success, and in the two decades that followed, her company expanded to become a global lifestyle brand involving accessories, clothing, home goods, and more. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Nov. 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