Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense begins, present participle beginning, past tense began, past participle begun
1. verb
To beginto do something means to start doing it.
He stood up and began to move around the room. [VERB to-infinitive]
The weight loss began to look more serious. [VERB to-infinitive]
Snow began falling again. [VERB verb-ing]
Synonyms: start, commence, proceed More Synonyms of begin
2. verb
When something begins or when you begin it, it takes place from a particular time onwards.
The problems began last November. [VERB]
He has just begun his fourth year in hiding. [VERB noun]
The U.S. is prepared to begin talks immediately. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: commence, start, initiate, embark on More Synonyms of begin
3. verb
If you beginwith something, or beginby doing something, this is the first thing you do.
Could I begin with a few formalities? [VERB + with]
...a businessman who began by selling golf shirts from the boot of his car. [VERB + by]
He began his career as a sound editor. [VERB noun preposition]
4. verb [no cont]
You use begin to mention the first thing that someone says.
'Professor Theron,' he began, 'I'm very pleased to see you'. [VERB with quote]
He didn't know how to begin. [VERB]
Synonyms: start talking, start, open, initiate More Synonyms of begin
5. verb [no cont]
If one thing began as another, it first existed in the form of the second thing.
What began as a local festival has blossomed into an international event. [VERB + as]
Synonyms: come into existence, start, appear, emerge More Synonyms of begin
6. verb [no cont]
If you say that a thing or place begins somewhere, you are talking about one of its limits or edges.
The fate line begins at the wrist. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Rue Guynemer begins at the front of the Fitzgerald site. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: emerge, start, spring, stem More Synonyms of begin
7. verb [no cont]
If a word begins with a particular letter, that is the first letter of that word.
The first word begins with an F. [VERB + with]
Synonyms: start More Synonyms of begin
8. verb [no cont]
If you say that you cannot beginto imagine, understand, or explain something, you are emphasizing that it is almost impossible to explain, understand, or imagine.
[emphasis]
You can't begin to imagine how much that saddens me. [VERB to-infinitive]
9.
See to begin with
10.
See to begin with
11. charity begins at home
12. to begin life
begin in British English
(bɪˈɡɪn)
verbWord forms: -gins, -ginning, -gan or -gun
1.
to start or cause to start (something or to do something)
2.
to bring or come into being for the first time; arise or originate
3.
to start to say or speak
4. (used with a negative)
to have the least capacity (to do something)
he couldn't begin to compete with her
5. to begin with
Word origin
Old English beginnan; related to Old High German biginnan, Gothic duginnan
Begin in British English
(ˈbɛɡɪn)
noun
Menachem (məˈnɑːkɪm). 1913–92, Israeli statesman, born in Poland. In Palestine after 1942, he became a leader of the militant Zionists; prime minister of Israel (1977–83); Nobel peace prize jointly with Anwar Sadat of Egypt (1979) after they concluded the Camp David treaty
Begin in American English
(ˈbeɪgɪn)
Meˈnachem (məˈnɑxəm) 1913-92; prime minister of Israel (1977-83), born in Poland
to start doing, acting, going, etc.; get under way
2.
to come into being; arise
3.
to have a first part or element
the Bible begins with Genesis
4.
to be or do in the slightest degree
used with an infinitive
they don't begin to compare
verb transitive
5.
to cause to start; set about; commence
6.
to cause to come into being; originate
7.
to be the first part or element of
Idioms:
to begin with
SYNONYMY NOTE: begin, the most general of these terms, indicates merely a setting into motion of someaction, process, or course [to begin eating]; commence, the more formal term, is used with reference to a ceremony or an elaborate courseof action [to commence a court action]; start carries the particular implication of leaving a point of departure in any kind ofprogression [to start a journey, the boulder started a landslide]; initiate, in this connection, refers to the carrying out of the first steps in some courseor 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]
OPPOSITES: end, finish, conclude
Word origin
ME biginnen < OE beginnan; akin to Ger beginnen, Goth duginnan
Examples of 'begin' in a sentence
begin
Home celebrations began with the last few singles still out on the course.
The Sun (2016)
Yet the problems had only just begun.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This absolutely begins years or decades before symptoms appear.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You have to be entrenched in something to begin with.
The Sun (2017)
It began with a letter in the post.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The first series began with a certain amount of promise.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
By the time construction began in 1993 the cracks in his marriage had become public knowledge.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
On the pitch, things had begun to look bleak.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The last book begins and ends with reflections on mortality.
The Times Literary Supplement (2008)
Search for the best has only just begun.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The habit began at a time when her parents" marriage was under stress.
Steel, Elizabeth Coping With Sudden Hair Loss (1988)
This persecution complex began abruptly two years ago with a swoop on suspected insider traders.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These are the kinds of things that begin to surface.
Christianity Today (2000)
The place is beginning to fill up.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
My advice is to begin with something that you really enjoy eating.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The officer began exchanging letters with her.
Max Hastings Nemesis: The Battle for Japan, 194445 (2007)
You cannot begin to imagine the depths of it.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The work was begun on the first day of winter.
Barrett, Clive The Gods of Asgard (1989)
But last year it began to edge up again.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He is beginning to realise just how serious the situation is.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
People had learned to live with this constant disparity since they first began telling time.
Arthur Herman THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT: The Scots' Invention of the Modern World (2002)
Their relationship began some two years before they became lovers.
Judd, Alan Ford Madox Ford (1990)
Surely good management begins with placing the right player in the right place.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
City began to sense something concrete may be afoot.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The letters they exchanged began to take on a familiar pattern.
Louise Carpenter AN UNLIKELY COUNTESS: Lily Budge and the 13th Earl of Galloway (2004)
One can only begin to imagine the anguish being experienced by those involved.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And six wins from nine home games suggests a bright future has only just begun.
The Sun (2013)
The vulnerability of being alone for the first time in years began to sink in.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Britain will begin testing its first military laser gun on land within two years and at sea by the end of the decade.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Technical trials began last week in Cumbria.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
begin
British English: begin /bɪˈɡɪn/ VERB
If you begin to do something, you start to do it.
You can begin to write now.
American English: begin
Arabic: يَبْدَأُ
Brazilian Portuguese: começar
Chinese: 开始
Croatian: početi
Czech: začít
Danish: begynde
Dutch: beginnen
European Spanish: empezar
Finnish: alkaa
French: commencer
German: beginnen
Greek: αρχίζω
Italian: iniziare
Japanese: 始める
Korean: 시작하다
Norwegian: begynne
Polish: rozpocząć
European Portuguese: começar
Romanian: a începe
Russian: начинать(ся)
Latin American Spanish: empezar
Swedish: börja
Thai: เริ่ม
Turkish: başlamak
Ukrainian: починати
Vietnamese: bắt đầu
All related terms of 'begin'
re-begin
to begin (something) again
begin action
Action is doing something for a particular purpose.
begin a task
A task is an activity or piece of work which you have to do, usually as part of a larger project.
begin negotiations
Negotiations are formal discussions between people who have different aims or intentions , especially in business or politics , during which they try to reach an agreement.
to begin with
You use to begin with when you are talking about the first stage of a situation , event , or process.
begin the cycle
A cycle is a series of events or processes that is repeated again and again, always in the same order.
start life to begin life
If something starts life or begins life as a particular thing, it is that thing when it first starts to exist .
Chinese translation of 'begin'
begin
(bɪˈɡɪn)
Word forms:ptbegan
Word forms:ppbegun
vt
开(開)始 (kāishǐ)
⇒ He had begun his career as a painter.他开始了他的画家生涯。 (Tā kāishǐle tā de huàjiā shēngyá.)
vi
开(開)始 (kāishǐ)
⇒ The concert begins at 5 p.m.音乐会下午5点开始。 (Yīnyuèhuì xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn kāishǐ.)
to begin doing or to do sth开(開)始做某事 (kāishǐ zuò mǒushì)
I can't begin to thank you我真不知道怎样(樣)感谢(謝)你 (wǒ zhēn bù zhīdào zěnyàng gǎnxiè nǐ)
⇒ To begin with, I was sceptical, but I was soon convinced.起初我持怀疑态度，但很快就相信了。 (Qǐchū wǒ chí huáiyí tàidu, dàn hěn kuài jiù xiāngxìn le.)
⇒ You should invite your closest friends to begin with, and then see if there's roomfor anybody else.你首先应该邀请最亲近的朋友，然后再看是否有位置给其他人。 (Nǐ shǒuxiān yīnggāi yāoqǐng zuì qīnjìn de péngyou, ránhòu zài kàn shìfǒu yǒu wèizhigěi qítā rén.)
begin，start 和 commence 的意思相同，但 begin 比 start 稍正式一些，而 commence 则很正式，并且通常不用于口语。 The meeting is about to begin ... He tore the list up and started a fresh one ... The academic year commences at the beginning of October. 当谈及起动车辆和机器时用 start。 I couldn't start the car. 当谈及创办一项业务或其他组织时，也要用 start。 He's started his own printing business. 注意 begin，start 和 commence 后面都可以跟动词的-ing 形式或名词，但只有 begin 和 start 可以跟由 to 引导的不定式。
1 (verb)
Definition
to start (something)
He stood up and began to walk around the room.
Synonyms
start
The fire is thought to have started in an upstairs room.
commence
They commenced a systematic search of the area.
proceed
The defence is not yet ready to proceed with the trial.
Opposites
end
,
stop
,
finish
,
cease
,
terminate
2 (verb)
Definition
to start (something)
The US wants to begin talks immediately.
Synonyms
commence
start
initiate
They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.
embark on
set about
instigate
The violence was instigated by ex-members of the secret police.
inaugurate
They inaugurated the first ever scheduled flights.
institute
We will institute a number of methods to improve safety.
make a beginning
set on foot
3 (verb)
Definition
to start to say or speak
He didn't know how to begin.
Synonyms
start talking
start
open
They are now ready to open negotiations.
initiate
commence
lead off
Whenever there was a dance he and I led off.
begin business
get or start the ball rolling
4 (verb)
Definition
to bring or come into being
It began as a local festival.
Synonyms
come into existence
start
appear
a poem which appeared in his last collection of verse
emerge
He was waiting outside as she emerged from the building.
spring
be born
arise
if a problem arises later in pregnancy
dawn
A new era seemed about to dawn.
be developed
be created
originate
commence
be invented
become available
crop up (informal)
As we get older health problems often crop up.
come into being
5 (verb)
The fate line begins close to the wrist.
Synonyms
emerge
start
spring
The art springs from the country's Muslim heritage.
stem
derive
issue
A tinny voice issued from a speaker.
originate
The dish originated in North Africa.
Opposites
cease
,
end
,
finish
,
stop
6 (verb)
The first word begins with an F.
Synonyms
start
She started counting up the coins.
phrase
See to begin with
Additional synonyms
in the sense of appear
Definition
to be published or become available
a poem which appeared in his last collection of verse