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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Joby Aviation has begun piloted electric air taxi flights across Florida, testing how the aircraft could operate between airports and other locations as the state works toward building a network for future aerial transportation. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026 And the White House confirmed that discussions with the franchise had begun. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 31 Oct. 2026 With a list of missing people and a pile of dead bodies, the community of Fairhaven has only begun to emerge from the chaos of Jurek’s terror. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026 While midday crowds throng under a brilliant sky on Milan’s Piazza del Duomo, darkness gathers behind the windows of the nearby Palazzo Reale, where the vernissage for a major Francis Picabia retrospective has just begun. — Nicole Kaack, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2026 The year of 2023 had just begun when Brown, 34, went to the Boulevard Nights club with a relative. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026 The new decade had begun with a deadly pandemic and racial justice movement, which had each morphed into dizzying culture wars mined by political actors seeking power. — David MacK, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026 Reid starts questioning whether to accept his next assignment which will take him far away from the people and center that have begun to feel like home. — Rachel Labonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026 Molina will play Sebastian, the formidable head of Ascent Ventures who has begun to consider which of his top agents might succeed him. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 29 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
  • Jeon gave birth just before filming commenced and felt concerned about what the movie would require of her.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The evening commenced with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as literary and fashion insiders arrived at the private members club.
    — Brianna J. Heath, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of commenced
Verb
  • Some of the cheese sticks had started to become moldy and were past the sell-by date.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • New England started the second half better, and Peyton Miller set up its go-ahead goal brilliantly, beating Gonzalo Lujan on the dribble to get around the right corner and into the penalty area before sliding a pass toward the penalty spot.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of started
Verb
  • The company was founded by Kush Agarwal and Arvin Singh, who have backgrounds in aerospace engineering and aircraft development at the University of California, Los Angeles.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Jacob Bickelhaupt co-founded the now-shuttered Konro restaurant in West Palm Beach, where his ex-wife was a partner.
    — Zoey Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of founded
Verb
  • Even though the modern orchestra originated three centuries ago as a plaything of princes, there has always been an implicit connection — and tension — between orchestras and democracy.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Photographs of the vehicle from which the catalytic converter originated.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of originated
Verb
  • Investigators must still determine how much cryptocurrency remains accessible to whoever initiated the transfers.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Colts initiated a blockbuster to kick off the trade deadline period, sending Nelson, an All-Pro guard, to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and 2028 fifth-round pick on Tuesday.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of initiated
Verb
  • This All Come Back Now Perhaps my longest standing correspondence that has arisen from the podcast is with the Koori/Goori and Lebanese writer Mykaela Saunders.
    — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
  • After the Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools’ bankruptcy filing, questions have arisen about the school’s use of its remaining public funds.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of arisen
Verb
  • For example, in April, former FBI director James Comey was indicted for posting a photo of seashells on a beach that the Department of Justice said constituted a death threat against the president.
    — Frank Langfitt, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The students challenge that interpretation, contending that the university has not established that their individual statements constituted legally unprotected threats or caused the level of disruption required to justify punishment.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of constituted
Verb
  • There’ve been so many games within the franchise, so many spin-offs.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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 5 Nov. 2026.

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