Skip to content

beginning

/bɪˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/noun, verb, adjective3 syllables

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

Synonyms for beginning37

noun, as in the time at which something is supposed to begin

commencement, first, outset, get-go, start, kickoff, starting time, showtime, offset

noun, as in the place where something begins, where it springs into being

origin, root, rootage, source

noun, as in the act of starting something

start, commencement

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

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

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

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

verb, as in set in motion, cause to start

begin, lead off, start, commence

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

begin, 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

verb, as in begin to speak or say

verb, as in achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative

adjective, as in serving to begin

also used for beginning

commencing, starting, genesis, element, embryo, rudiment, head, morning, birth, font, fount, inauguration, initiation, launch, spring

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of beginning

What does beginning mean?16

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

the time at which something is supposed to begin“they got an early start”

2

the place where something begins, where it springs into being“the Italian beginning of the Renaissance”

3

the act of starting something“he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations”

4

the event consisting of the start of something“the beginning of the war”

5

the first part or section of something“‘It was a dark and stormy night’ is a hackneyed beginning for a story”

adjective

1

serving to begin“the beginning canto of the poem”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with beginning?6

two syllables

winningspinninginninggrinningthinningpinning
Show 40 near rhymes

Beginning in a sentence

  • The bargain sale will run for three days, beginning today.CK
  • Birth is, in a manner, the beginning of death.unknown
  • Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task.saeb
  • At the beginning it'll be tough, but everything's tough at the beginning.riccioberto
  • In the beginning, man was almost the same as the other animals.CK
  • I was forced to start everything from the beginning, and that wasn't pleasant.AlanF_US
  • Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.Hybrid
  • At the beginning, he didn't believe it at all.AlanF_US

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

Forms of beginning

as a noun

plural
beginnings