1
as in to commence
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
she began walking to work for exercise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to start
to come into existence
the storm began late in the day and lasted all night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to establish
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of begin
The shake-up leaves an unusual number of spots open on the party’s Central Committee, which began its term in 2022 with 205 members and 171 non-voting alternates.
—
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2025
The Orionid meteor shower peak begins tonight, welcoming a spectacular natural light show that could see a flurry of shooting stars spawned by Halley's Comet brighten the dark, moonless sky.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
About a year ago, while still married, Sara began an affair.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
Geiger said many stores began offering discounts and clearance on select Halloween items even in early October.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for begin
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2025
The Orionid meteor shower peak begins tonight, welcoming a spectacular natural light show that could see a flurry of shooting stars spawned by Halley's Comet brighten the dark, moonless sky.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
About a year ago, while still married, Sara began an affair.
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 20 Oct. 2025
Geiger said many stores began offering discounts and clearance on select Halloween items even in early October.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for begin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for begin
Verb
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The split commenced a contentious court battle in which the former model requested $175,057 in child support payments, a $45,000 increase from a tentative payment order, during a two-day Santa Barbara court hearing in August, according to People.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
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The 17-year-long lease will commence at the start of 2026, with two five-year renewal options when the term expires in June 2043, the documents state.—
Matthew Geiger,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Hough and Inaba found themselves at loggerheads when the former's critique started to go south.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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Amazon dropped hundreds of early bird Christmas tree deals, with festive artificial firs and spruces starting at just $33.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Politically, the affluence manifested in Long Island establishing itself as a bastion of the Republican Party, showing strong support for Hoover in his doomed Presidential campaign against Roosevelt.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Mediators, including Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, are continuing their efforts to facilitate dialogue and to broker progress on key measures such as reopening border crossings, delivering aid, and establishing future governance structures for Gaza.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Billups was arrested less than nine hours after Portland’s season-opening season-opening loss at home, a game notably attended by the team’s current owner and a financier in the process of buying the franchise.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
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Rozier did not play in the Heat’s season-opening game on Wednesday night versus the Orlando Magic.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Bewildered, the space weather expert wanted to know if there could be space weather events that were smaller than coronal mass ejections and did not originate directly from solar eruptions.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
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Dating back to the 1800s, Brandy Snap cookie originated in England and become widely known for their thin, lacy texture and delicate crunch.—
Jenavieve Christensen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Wells Fargo initiates Exxon Mobil at overweight Wells sees several positive catalysts for the country’s largest fossil fuel company.—
Michael Bloom,
CNBC,
17 Oct. 2025
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Ben's Original is initiating a voluntary recall in the United States for some of its heat-and-eat rice products, because some of the packages may be contaminated with small stones, which could cause injury.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Anthropologist Eugenia Shanklin’s analysis of the details in this legend, and her discussions with Kom people (1989), led her to conclude that the geomyth arose after a real natural disaster centuries ago.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, Next Gen NYC creator and executive producer Michaline Babich explained that the idea for the series arose from her time working on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
White Flame was founded over a decade ago to explore for oil and gas in Greenland.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
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Two decades after co-founding the Dodos with drummer Logan Kroeber, singer and guitarist Meric Long will release his first solo album under his own name.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Begin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/begin. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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