Synonyms of began

began

verb

past tense of begin

1

as in commenced

to take the first step in (a process or course of action)

she began walking to work for exercise

Synonyms & Similar Words

• commenced
• started
• opened
• launched
• created
• fell (to)
• initiated
• set about
• entered (into or upon)
• embarked (on or upon)
• struck (into)
• got to
• got off
• got going
• established
• organized
• led off
• adopted
• originated
• generated
• founded
• invented
• kicked off
• inaugurated
• instituted
• pioneered
• spawned
• innovated
• took up
• took on
• embraced
• fathered
• set up
• got down (to)
• got around (to)
• got round (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ended
• concluded
• finished
• stopped
• ceased
• terminated
• completed
• halted
• discontinued
• closed
• quit
• laid off
• left
• abandoned
• desisted
• destroyed
• abolished
• knocked off
• extinguished
• demolished
• forsook
• exterminated
• phased out

2

as in started

to come into existence

the storm began late in the day and lasted all night

Synonyms & Similar Words

• started
• commenced
• originated
• arose
• appeared
• was
• formed
• emerged
• arrived
• sprang
• dawned
• set in
• materialized
• existed
• engendered
• lived
• broke
• continued
• actualized
• lasted
• breathed
• persisted
• came on
• subsisted
• survived
• endured
• coalesced
• shaped (up)
• cohered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stopped
• ended
• ceased
• concluded
• finished
• halted
• terminated
• discontinued
• disappeared
• quit
• died
• vanished
• dissolved
• evaporated
• desisted
• departed
• expired
• perished
• passed away

3

as in founded

to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of

the religious sect was begun by a small breakaway faction

Synonyms & Similar Words

• founded
• established
• initiated
• pioneered
• introduced
• launched
• created
• started
• instituted
• inaugurated
• planted
• constituted
• originated
• constructed
• organized
• developed
• innovated
• invented
• set up
• devised
• authored
• produced
• conceived
• manufactured
• thought (up)
• made up
• expanded
• concocted
• funded
• cooked (up)
• contrived
• fathered
• enlarged
• financed
• arranged
• endowed
• fabricated
• subsidized
• reinstituted
• reinitiated
• relaunched
• systematized
• systemized
• refounded
• put up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• closed (down)
• shut (up)
• ended
• stopped
• finished
• abolished
• terminated
• halted
• phased out
• annulled
• nullified
• annihilated
• rounded (off or out)
• wrapped up
• wound up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of began

In one instance, Moreno alleged that Miller, 37, began verbally harassing one of her attorneys following a court hearing in May 2026. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

The financial institution which began expanding its footprint in the region a few years ago, is planning to open branches in the Berewick neighborhood of southwest Charlotte at 9424 Steele Creek Road and at 8830 Lindholm Drive in Huntersville. — Chase Jordan july 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 July 2026

What began as one employee's devastating loss quickly grew into a community-wide effort to help earthquake victims in Venezuela. — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 31 July 2026

As team president Mark Donovan put it on Wednesday while speaking at the opening of training camp at Missouri Western, the focus forward began almost instantly after the Chiefs lost their season finale to the Raiders in Las Vegas. — Vahe Gregorian july 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Filmmakers Sarah Cooper and Conny Fridh began filming Mosley in 2018, a turning point in his long, circuitous career. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 30 July 2026

The agency, which is charged with protecting the president, not only began following Comey, but tracked his location through his phone. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

Construction, which began in 2018, took years, partly because of a global slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. — ABC News, 24 July 2026

Throughout the streak, the Red Sox began to rely more heavily on small ball. — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 24 July 2026