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 (fol. by an infinitive): The money won't even begin to cover expenses.
[Origin: bef. 1000; ME beginnen, OE beginnan, equiv. to be-be-+ -ginnan to begin, perh. orig. to open, akin to yawn]
—Synonyms 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.
To take the first step in performing an action; start.
To come into being: when life began.
To do or accomplish in the least degree: Those measures do not even begin to address the problem.
v.
tr.
To take the first step in doing; start: began work.
To cause to come into being; originate.
To come first in: The numeral 1 begins the sequence.
[Middle English biginnen, from Old English beginnan.]
Synonyms: These verbs denote coming into being or taking the first step, as in a procedure. Begin, commence, and start are equivalent in meaning, though commence is more formal, and start often stresses the point where inaction turns to action: The play begins at eight o'clock. The festivities commenced with the national anthem. We will stay on the platform until the train starts. Initiate applies to causing the first steps in a process: I initiated a lawsuit against the driver who hit my car. Inaugurate often connotes a formal beginning: "The exhibition inaugurated a new era of cultural relations" (Serge Schmemann).
The act or process of bringing or being brought into being; a start.
The time when something begins or is begun: the beginning of the war.
The place where something begins or is begun: at the beginning of the road.
A source; an origin: What was the beginning of the dispute?
The first part: The front matter is at the beginning of the book.
An early or rudimentary phase. Often used in the plural: the beginnings of human life on this planet.
Synonyms: These nouns denote the initial stage of a developmental process: the beginning of a new era in technology; the birth of generative grammar; the dawn of civilization; the genesis of quantum mechanics; the nascence of classical sculpture; the rise and decline of an ancient city-state.
serving to begin; "the beginning canto of the poem"; "the first verse"
noun
1.
the event consisting of the start of something; "the beginning of the war" [ant: conclusion]
2.
the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her" [ant: middle, end]
3.
the first part or section of something; "'It was a dark and stormy night' is a hackneyed beginning for a story" [ant: middle, end]
4.
the place where something begins, where it springs into being; "the Italian beginning of the Renaissance"; "Jupiter was the origin of the radiation"; "Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River"; "communism's Russian root"
5.
the act of starting something; "he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations" [ant: finish]
Be*gin"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Began, Begun; p. pr. & vb. n. Beginning.] [AS. beginnan (akin to OS. biginnan, D. & G. beginnen, OHG. biginnan, Goth., du-ginnan, Sw. begynna, Dan. begynde); pref. be- + an assumed ginnan. [root]31. See Gin to begin.]1. To have or commence an independent or first existence; to take rise; to commence. Vast chain of being! which from God began. --Pope. 2. To do the first act or the first part of an action; to enter upon or commence something new, as a new form or state of being, or course of action; to take the first step; to start. "Tears began to flow." --Dryden. When I begin, I will also make an end. --1 Sam. iii. 12.
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Audio Help [bi-gin-ing] Pronunciation Key 
