begin

verb

UK /bɪˈɡɪn/

Word Forms

present tense
I/you/we/they	begin
he/she/it	begins
present participle	beginning
past tense	began
past participle	begun

1
intransitive to start happening or existing
She felt her life was just beginning.
The ceremony is due to begin at noon.
My troubles began the night I met Roger.
begin as:
It began as a practical joke.
Synonyms and related words
To start to exist or happen
start
begin
arise
1. 1a
  if an activity or process begins with something, that is the first thing that happens in it
  begin with:
  All meals begin with a short prayer.
  The competition began with one of the teams being disqualified.
  Synonyms and related words
  To start to exist or happen
  start
  begin
  arise
2. 1b
  if a sentence, book etc begins with a particular letter, word etc, that is the first one in it
  begin with:
  We usually use ‘an’ before a word beginning with a vowel.
  Synonyms and related words
  To start to exist or happen
  start
  begin
  arise
3. 1c
  if a place begins somewhere, that is the first point where you consider it to be
  The Lake District begins just north of Kendal.
  Synonyms and related words
  To start to exist or happen
  start
  begin
  arise
4. 1d
  to start speaking
  ‘It isn’t like that’, he began, but Ben interrupted him.
  Synonyms and related words
  To start speaking, or to start speaking again
  begin
  bring up
  continue
2
transitive to start doing something
begin doing something:
He began shouting abuse at them.
begin to do something:
Suddenly the rain began to fall.
be just beginning to do something (=to be at the earliest stage of doing something):
The buds were just beginning to open.
Synonyms and related words
To start doing something
start on
begin
set about
1. 2a
  transitive to start feeling or thinking something
  begin to do something:
  Now we were beginning to feel excited.
  I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever find you!
  Synonyms and related words
  To start doing something
  start on
  begin
  set about
2. 2b
  intransitive/transitive to make an activity or process start or exist
  The police have already begun their investigation.
  Their truck began the steep descent to the village.
  begin (something) by doing something:
  I’d like to begin by thanking you all for coming.
  begin (something) with something:
  We began the meeting with a discussion about the budget.
  begin (something) as something:
  He began his working life as a waiter.
  Synonyms and related words
  To make something start to exist or happen
  bring about
  trigger
  form
3. 2c
  transitive to give your attention to something for the first time
  I began the book with high hopes.
  Synonyms and related words
  To start doing something new or different
  strike out
  branch out
  pioneer

phrases

can’t begin to imagine/understand/explain etc

it all began

to begin with

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begin

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