Nearby Words

Began

[bih-gan] Example Sentences Origin

be·gan

[bih-gan]
verb
simple past tense of begin.
Example Sentences
  • Pollen began looking for genes, near these deletions, that could affect brain size.
  • And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true.
  • The expedition's food supplies soon began to dwindle.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

be·gin

[bih-gin] verb, be·gan, be·gun, be·gin·ning.
verb (used without object)
1.
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of some action; commence; start: The story begins with their marriage.
2.
to come into existence; arise; originate: The custom began during the Civil War.
verb (used with object)
3.
to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of (some action): Begin the job tomorrow.
4.
to originate; be the originator of: civic leaders who began the reform movement.
5.
to succeed to the slightest extent in (followed by an infinitive): The money won't even begin to cover expenses.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English beginnen, Old English beginnan, equivalent to be- be- + -ginnan to begin, perhaps orig. to open, akin to yawn


3. Begin, commence, initiate, start (when followed by noun or gerund) refer to setting into motion or progress something that continues for some time. Begin is the common term: to begin knitting a sweater. Commence is a more formal word, often suggesting a more prolonged or elaborate beginning: to commence proceedings in court. Initiate implies an active and often ingenious first act in a new field: to initiate a new procedure. Start means to make a first move or to set out on a course of action: to start paving a street. 4. institute, inaugurate, initiate.


1. end.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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World English Dictionary
began (bɪˈɡæn)
 
vb
the past tense of begin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

begin
O.E. beginnan "to begin, attempt, undertake," a rare word beside the more usual form onginnan (class III strong verb; past tense ongann, pp. ongunnen); from bi- "be" + W.Gmc. *ginnan, of obscure meaning and found only in compounds, perhaps "to open, open up" (cf. O.H.G. in-ginnan "to cut open, open up,"
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also "begin, undertake"). Cognates elsewhere in Germanic include O.H.G. beginnan, M.Du. beghinnen, Ger. beginnen, O.Fris. bijenna, Goth. duginnan.

began
p.t. of begin.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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