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

This is a pilgrimage with many pit stops—a topic that begets a lot of footnotes and tangents. —Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 May 2024

The follies of the legit market beget the dark one. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2024

And stars tend to beget yet more stars as young and massive suns explode in supernovae that enrich and expel enormous volumes of star-forming gas and dust. —Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 17 Jan. 2024

What is more certain, however, is that violent upheaval tends to beget more violence. —Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2023

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