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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 The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the two-night event celebrating TV talent on and offscreen, have begun turning nominees into winners. — Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026 The Pentagon has begun that process, deploying several relatively inexpensive anti-drone missile systems. — Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 For all the movement in the transfer market, many teams have begun the season looking slightly adrift, a little rudderless. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Meyer, who hasn’t pitched since July 18, continues to be troubled by a neck injury and hasn’t begun throwing. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026 Chicago retains a hand in many of these structures that have begun in the offices of our architects and engineers. — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 Suffice to say, this legal battle won't be slowing down any time soon, and for those of you who were looking forward to the distractions being set aside now that the season has begun, think again. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026 That robotaxi network has been operating in Austin for more than a year and has also begun offering rides in five other cities in Texas and Florida. — Bernard Condon, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026 The tenants union said North Lawn residents have also begun negotiations with new property owner, Shawn Johnson of Vital20 LLC and Rubicon Realty LLC. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for begun
  1. commenced
  2. started
  3. founded
  4. originated
  5. initiated
  6. arisen
  7. constituted
  8. been
Verb
  • At first glance, the second-guessing commenced as Leading Change had only two career starts to his credit.
    — Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The game commenced with four unanswered scores from Jenks and sloppy play from Southlake Carroll that included a handful of early penalties, messy substitutions and a lack of rhythm.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of commenced
Verb
  • Mayfield, who injured his left shoulder in late November against the Los Angeles Rams, started all 17 games last year for the third season in a row and passed for 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Several of these improvements started with the haul the Cowboys got in the Parsons trade last summer, which has afforded Dallas opportunities to address the gaping holes on this team.
    — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of started
Verb
  • Contour Circuits, founded by Secor and former graduate student Jeremy Rurup, received a $150,000 Small Business Technology Transfer contract to advance the technology.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • At Micam, curation takes place in sections like the Emerging Designer event area, founded in 2018.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of founded
Verb
  • Harbour, who is an executive producer of the series along with Bateman, originated the project after being inspired by a New Yorker true-crime article about a fatal suburban love triangle.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Fourteen of those storms originated in the East Pacific, which, with two and a half months of the season still to come, will likely blow past its average seasonal storm total of 15.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of originated
Verb
  • In April Bangladesh health officials initiated a large-scale measles vaccination campaign, targeting some 18 million children.
    — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, plaintiffs contend that the commission initiated the early renewal proceeding to retaliate against plaintiffs in violation of the First Amendment.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of initiated
Verb
  • Dolly Parton recently passed away at age 80, and since her death, questions have arisen about her estate.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The vanishing New York chronicled in the blogs of the mid-aughts has mostly vanished, NYU has colonized large swaths of downtown, and a populace struggling to afford the crushing price of housing has arisen in its wake.
    — David Freedlander, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of arisen
Verb
  • Thompson asserted that the monitoring constituted unreasonable search and seizure, but a federal appeals court denied his claim last year.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Colonial armies fought in every theater and constituted some of the forces deployed during the war.
    — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 2026.

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