begin 
be·gin (bē gin′, bi-)
intransitive verb be·gan′, be·gun′, be·gin′·ning
- to start doing, acting, going, etc.; get under way
- to come into being; arise
- to have a first part or element the Bible begins with Genesis
- to be or do in the slightest degree: used with an infinitive they don't begin to compare
Etymology: ME biginnen < OE beginnan; akin to Ger beginnen, Goth duginnan
transitive verb
- to cause to start; set about; commence
- to cause to come into being; originate
- to be the first part or element of
to begin with
as the first point or consideration
Be·gin (bā′gin)
Begin, Menachem (mə näkh′əm) 1913-92; prime minister of Israel (1977-83), born in Poland
begin
v.
To get under way
start, cause, initiate, inaugurate, commence, occasion, impel, produce, effect, set in motion, launch, mount, start up, start off, start on, start in, take up, induce, create, bring about, get going, set going, set about, institute, lead up to, undertake, enter on, enter upon, embark on, embark upon, set to, set to work, get to, fall to, open, animate, motivate, go into, go ahead, lead the way, give impulse to, bring in, bring on, bring to pass, activate, act on, generate, drive, actualize, eventuate, introduce, originate, found, establish, set up, trigger, spark, give birth to, raise, breed, work, necessitate, take the lead, pioneer, lay the foundation for, break ground, open up, tackle, plunge into, lead off, kick off*, get on the ball, get on the beam*, go to it*, get down to*, get moving*, get cracking*, put one's shoulder to the wheel*, open fire*, fire away*, scratch the surface*, open the door to*, touch a match to*, throw the first stone*, break the ice*, be in on the ground floor*, strike out*, strike up*, tee off*, jump off*, dig in*, get the show on the road*, start the ball rolling*, get the ball rolling, play ball*, dive in*, take the plunge*, get one's feet wet*. Antonyms
end*, finish*, terminate. * To come into being
commence, get under way, start, start out, set out, set in, come out, arise, rise, proceed from, result from, enter, dawn, sprout, originate, spring, spring up, crop up, be born, come into the world, come to birth, emanate, come into existence, occur, burst forth, issue forth, come forth, bud, stem from, spring from, come from, derive from, grow out of, flower, blossom, break out, start up, have origin, lead out, take off, see the light of day*, raise its head*, rear its head*.
begin, the most general of these terms, indicates merely a setting into motion of some action, process, or course to begin eating; commence, a more formal term, is used esp. with reference to a ceremony or an elaborate course of action to commence a court action; start is sometimes interchangeable with begin, but carries the particular implication of leaving a point of departure in any kind of progression to start a journey, the boulder started a landslide; initiate, in this connection, refers to the carrying out of the first steps in some course or process, with no indication of what is to follow to initiate peace talks; inaugurate suggests a formal or ceremonial beginning or opening to inaugurate a new library
Object
- process: Once they came in and began the process, the pathologists would insert the chip at that point.
- trading: Businesses and community/social enterprises that were initially supported by The Trust and began trading between 1 September 2003 and 1 September 2005.
- proceeding: Nearly eleven months later the Council decided that his placards constituted a ' nuisance ' and began proceedings to remove him ( 1 ).
- campaign: Saturday 2 November 1985 Loyalists began a campaign to establish ' Ulster Clubs ' in each District Council area in Northern Ireland.
Preposition: at
- 9.00am: This four-day course is very intense, lectures and courses beginning at 9.00am and lasting until approximately 6.00pm.
- pm: Events at Knights Park will begin at 6.30 pm.
- beginning: You can of course, like Alice, " begin at the beginning and go on to the end.
Adjective complement
- 27th: Requests for official printed transcripts if required will not be processed until the week beginning 27th June.
Used with why or when
- when: Advice and assistance only begins when the solicitor grants it.
Infinitive complement
- realize: Through this exploration you will begin to realize ideas for a design.
- appear: Soon, very long aerials, held on tall poles, began to appear in the village.
- emerge: Evidence of what the EU has been up to is now beginning to emerge.
- wonder: Prior to my degree show, I began to wonder which area of the industry my furniture would be best suited to.
- feel: I knew, but my immediate concerns were how ill I was beginning to feel.
- understand: The world hasn't even begun to understand how bad life can be.
Present participle complement
- write: In 1929 Wedgwood began writing a history of Parliament that would include the biographies of every person who sat in the House of Commons.
- operate: The first " tranche " of partnerships in Stafford Boro, East Staffordshire and Staffordshire Moorlands, will begin operating in autumn 2007.
Preposition: in
- autumn: The story behind Out Here began in the autumn of 1968.
Preposition: with
'Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?' he asked. 'Begin at the beginning,'the King said, gravely, 'and go on till you come to the end; then stop.'
Ce qu'ils ont en commun, c'est simplement le fait qu'ils estiment que l'existence pre¤ ce' de l'essence, ou, si vous voulez, qu'il faut partir de la subjectivite¤ . What [existentialists] have in common is simply the fact that they believe that existence comes before essenceöor, if you will, that we must begin from the subjective.
When did we begin to dress ourselves?
All this will not be finished in the first100 days, nor will it be finished in the first1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administrationönor even, perhaps, in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
All, all of a piece throughout; Thy chase had a beast in view; Thy wars brought nothing about; Thy lovers were all untrue. 'Tis well an old age is out, And time to begin a new.
To begin at the beginning: It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and- rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea.
Endings are elusive, middles are nowhere to be found, but worst of all is to begin, to begin, to begin.
Browse dictionary entries near begin
- ‹ begging
- ‹ beggary
- ‹ beggarweed
- ‹ beggarly
- ‹ beggar-thy-neighbor policies
- ‹ beggar's-ticks
- ‹ beggar's-lice
- ‹ beggar
- ‹ beget
- ‹ began
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