beginning Hear it!

beginning definition

be·gin·ning (-iŋ)

noun

  1. a starting or commencing
  2. the time or place of starting; birth; origin; source English democracy had its beginning in the Magna Carta
  3. the first part the beginning of a book
  4. an early stage or example the beginnings of scientific agriculture

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

beginning Synonyms

beginning

n.

  1. The origin in point of time or place

    source, outset, day one*; see origin 2.

  2. The origin, thought of as the cause

    germ, heart, antecedent; see origin 3.

  3. The act of beginning

    start, opening, commencement, inception; see origin 1. See syn. study at origin.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

beginning Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • semester: There can be hundreds of students without anywhere to live at the beginning of a semester.

Converse of object

  • mark: The " % % " marks the beginning of the rules.

Preposition: at

  • p.m.: The company will broadcast its earnings conference call overthe Internet that day beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Adjective modifier

  • humble: We started from very humble beginnings with a youth worship event in our town.

Preposition: in

  • 1970s: This guide covers unique and representative designs from the beginning in the early 1970s until now.
beginning usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

beginning quotes

Now a whole is that which has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

-Aristotle

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

-Bible (Old Testament)

The fear of the L is the beginning of wisdom.

-Bible (Old Testament)

beginning quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"beginning." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/beginning>

APA Style

beginning. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/beginning

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