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begin

/bɪˈɡɪn/noun, verb2 syllables

Begin means: take the first step or steps in carrying out an action.

Synonyms for begin9

noun, as in Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)

Menachem Begin

verb, as in take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

get down, get, start out, start, set about, set out, commence

verb, as in begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language

get down, get, start out, start, set about, set out, commence

verb, as in set in motion, cause to start

lead off, start, commence

verb, as in have a beginning, of a temporal event

start, lead off, commence

verb, as in have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense

verb, as in have a beginning characterized in some specified way

verb, as in begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object

verb, as in be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series

Opposites of begin

What does begin mean?11

verb

1

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action“We began working at dawn”

2

begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language“She began Russian at an early age”

3

set in motion, cause to start“The U.S. started a war in the Middle East”

4

have a beginning, of a temporal event“WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland”

5

have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense“The DMZ begins right over the hill”

6

have a beginning characterized in some specified way“The novel begins with a murder”

7

begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object“begin a cigar”

8

be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series“The number ‘one’ begins the sequence”

9

begin to speak or say“‘Now listen, friends’, he began”

10

achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative“This economic measure doesn't even begin to deal with the problem of inflation”

noun

1

Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with begin?34

Show 40 near rhymes

All 34 rhymes for begin, grouped by syllable

Begin in a sentence

  • To begin with, you must build up your body.orcrist
  • To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand.AlanF_US
  • As a tadpole grows, the tail disappears and legs begin to form.Eldad
  • To begin with, we must tackle the problem.carlosalberto
  • To begin with, we have no money now.frpzzd
  • To begin with, the funds are not sufficient for running a grocery store.carlosalberto
  • As long as you are here, we might as well begin.Zifre
  • From the look of the sky, it may begin to snow tonight.CK

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of begin

as a noun

plural
begins

as a verb

past tense
began
past participle
begun
present participle
beginning
third-person singular
begins