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

Constant vigilance against the presence of AI inevitably begets cynicism and threatens to corrode the teacher-student relationship that is at the heart of education. — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026

Every lie begets another lie, every solution creates a new problem, and every apparent resolution sends the stakes spiraling ever higher. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

That’s because success begets imitators eager to compete away profits. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

From Traitors to Summer House to Love Island USA, the past year in reality TV begat a near-nonstop stream of drama and character arcs to obsess over, analyze and generally opine on. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026

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
• binet
• 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