begun

verb

past participle 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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in started
to come into existence the storm began late in the day and lasted all night

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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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of begun The second official could not say if a formal IG probe had begun. — Matthew Lee, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026 But on Friday, the Cook Political Report, a leading election forecaster, moved 18 House races in Democrats’ direction, saying that heavy ad spending by Republicans has not begun to move the needle in their favor. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 Inevitably, our club culture has begun to be exported, and Soho House has been remarkably successful in launching outposts around the globe, while Robin Birley has completely reenergized New York’s Upper East Side with the opening of Maxime’s. — Mark Cecil, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026 The plaintiffs contend the administration has already begun implementing the larger redevelopment while attempting to treat tree-clearing and other preliminary work as separate maintenance projects. — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026 However, restrictions have begun to loosen over the last decade, and some players have been allowed to compete abroad or join lucrative leagues. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 There’s some neat symmetry to Martin and Brown’s version arriving now, as Lil Nas X has only just begun a new chapter himself. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026 The tryouts for the 2028 presidential election have already begun. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026 Someone who has seen these messages told me that another theme in the chat, which disbanded in January because its members had begun to quarrel, was an impulse to expand into broader anti-labor activities. — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for begun
  1. commenced
  2. started
  3. founded
  4. originated
  5. initiated
  6. arisen
  7. constituted
  8. been
Verb
  • Every belt buckle looks freshly yanked off the rack; every speck of signage resembles something painted 45 minutes before filming commenced that day.
    — Michael Phillips, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The group then commenced writing lyrics for their song, alternating between singing and rapping adorably.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of commenced
Verb
  • The problem is two of the guys have started dating between last year and this year.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Eight years ago, Mann started his business in the living room of his apartment and was shooting on iPhones.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of started
Verb
  • The group is a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by a former Republican FEC chairman.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Ho, who co-founded 852 Films, picked up the Fantastic Icon Award at BIFAN’s 30th edition, honoring her body of work in genre film.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of founded
Verb
  • The ruling led to cascading changes around the American South, but the case originated in Louisiana — specifically the 6th Congressional District that included Scotlandville.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The show originated as an idea by CAA’s Community & Impact (formerly CAA Foundation) in memory of Huvane.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of originated
Verb
  • Text messages indicate Moore’s representative had initiated the process of retrieving his belongings in the hours after his arrest, and the school was quick to oblige.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In those cases, the transition to single-member districts was initiated by legal challenges alleging voter discrimination, with plaintiffs saying the racial makeup of the boards didn’t reflect the racial makeup of district students.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of initiated
Verb
  • Speculation has arisen on social media that the death was related to the recent heat wave that has pushed temperatures to record levels in the past few days.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Several approaches to solving the Rendering Equation in the production of still and motion pictures have arisen in the intervening years.
    — Artforum, Artforum, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of arisen
Verb
  • This constituted an 85% year-over-year increase in economic impact compared to the 2025 show.
    — Paul Grein, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, in England and the United States and across continental Europe, statutes that punished idleness sharpened into vagrancy laws that gave police discretionary power to identify when a form of nonaction constituted criminal disorder.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of constituted
Verb
  • Naperville residents who’ve been unable to use Book Road for most of the year will see a little relief once the stretch between 75th and 83rd streets reopens by month’s end.
    — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the greatest shows on Earth these days are coming from the road warriors who’ve been out there the longest.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of been

Browse Nearby Words

beguiling
begun
behave
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Cite this Entry

“Begun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/begun. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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