begin

verb

OPAL S

/bɪˈɡɪn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they begin	/bɪˈɡɪn/ /bɪˈɡɪn/
he / she / it begins	/bɪˈɡɪnz/ /bɪˈɡɪnz/
past simple began	/bɪˈɡæn/ /bɪˈɡæn/
past participle begun	/bɪˈɡʌn/ /bɪˈɡʌn/
-ing form beginning	/bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/ /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

Idioms

jump to other results

[intransitive, transitive] to start doing something; to do the first part of something
- Shall I begin?
- begin at something Let's begin at page 9.
- begin with something I'd like to begin with a simple question.
- begin by doing something She began by thanking us all for coming.
- begin something We began work on the project in May.
- I began (= started reading) this novel last month and I still haven't finished it.
- begin something with something He always begins his lessons with a warm-up exercise.
- begin something at something I began piano lessons at the age of six.
- begin something by doing something She began her speech by praising her opponent.
- begin something as something He began his political career as a student (= when he was a student).
- begin to do something I began to feel dizzy.
- Leaves are just beginning to appear.
- We have already begun to address the problem.
- I was beginning to think you'd never come.
- begin doing something Everyone began talking at once.
- We began working on the project in May.
Language Bank first
firstOrdering your points
- This study has the following aims: first, to investigate how international students in the UK use humour; second, to examine how jokes can help to establish social relationships; and third, to explore the role that humour plays in helping overseas students adjust to life in the UK.
- Let us begin by identifying some of the popular joke genres in the UK.
- Next, let us turn to/Next, let us consider the question of gender differences in the use of humour.
- Finally/Lastly, let us briefly examine the role of humour in defining a nation’s culture.
Synonyms start
start
- begin
- start off
- kick off
- commence
- open
These words are all used to talk about things happening from the beginning, or people doing the first part of something.
- start to begin to happen or exist; to begin in a particular way or from a particular point:
  When does the class start?
- begin to start to happen or exist; to start in a particular way or from a particular point; to start speaking:
  When does the concert begin?
start or begin?There is not much difference in meaning between these words. Start is more frequent in spoken English and in business contexts; begin is more frequent in written English and is often used when you are describing a series of events: The story begins on the island of Corfu. Start is not used to mean ‘begin speaking’: ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he started.
- start off (rather informal) to start happening or doing something; to start by doing or being something:
  The discussion started off mildly enough.
- kick off (informal) to start an event or activity, especially in a particular way; (of an event, activity, etc.) to start, especially in a particular way:
  Tom will kick off with a few comments.
  The festival kicks off on Monday, September 13.
- commence (formal) to start happening:
  The meeting is scheduled to commence at noon.
- open to start an event or activity in a particular way; (of an event, a film or a book) to start, especially in a particular way:
  The story opens with a murder.
Patterns
- to start/begin/start off/kick off/commence/open with something
- to start/begin/start off/kick off/commence/open by doing something
- to start/begin/start off/commence as something
- a campaign/season/meeting starts/begins/starts off/kicks off/commences/opens
- a film/book starts/begins/starts off/opens
Extra Examples
- We had to begin all over again.
- He took a deep breath and slowly began.
- We will begin with a brief discussion of the problems.
- Let's begin by writing down a few ideas.
- Begin your story at the beginning, and carry on to the end.
- At last the guests began to arrive.
- It was beginning to snow.
- She began to cry.
- When will you begin recruiting?
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- again
- all over again
- anew
- …
verb + begin
- be due to
- be expected to
- be scheduled to
- …
preposition
- by
- with
phrases
- begin at the beginning
- be just beginning
- be only beginning
- …
See full entry
[intransitive] to start to happen or exist, especially from a particular time
- When does the concert begin?
- begin in… Work on the new bridge is due to begin in September.
- begin at… The lecture begins at 8pm.
- The evening began well.
Which Word? begin / start
begin / start
- There is not much difference in meaning between begin and start, though start is more common in spoken English:
  What time does the concert start/begin?
  She started/began working here three months ago.
  Begin is often used when you are describing a series of events:
  The story begins on the island of Corfu.
  Start, but not begin, can also mean ‘to start a journey’, ‘to start something happening’ or ‘to start a machine working’:
  We’ll need to start at 7.00.
  Who do you think started the fire?
  The car won’t start.
- You can use either an infinitive or a form with -ing after begin and start, with no difference in meaning:
  I didn’t start worrying/to worry until she was 2 hours late.
- After the forms beginning and starting, the -ing form of the verb is not normally used:
  It’s starting/beginning to rain.
  It’s starting/beginning raining.
Extra Examples
- The entertainment was due to begin at 8.30.
- Once it has finished, the DVD automatically begins again.
- Their troubles are only beginning.
- Research into the problem began immediately.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- again
- all over again
- anew
- …
verb + begin
- be due to
- be expected to
- be scheduled to
- …
preposition
- by
- with
phrases
- begin at the beginning
- be just beginning
- be only beginning
- …
See full entry
[intransitive] to have something as the first part or the point where something starts
- Where does Europe end and Asia begin?
- begin with something Use ‘an’ before words beginning with a vowel.
- ‘I'm thinking of a country in Asia.’ ‘What does it begin with (= what is the first letter)?’
- Each chapter begins with a quotation.
- begin at… The path begins at Livingston village.
- The story begins on the island of Corfu.
[intransitive, transitive] to start or make something start for the first time
- The school began in 1920, with only ten pupils.
- begin something He began a new magazine on post-war architecture.
[intransitive] begin as something to be something first, before becoming something else
- He began as an actor, before starting to direct films.
- What began as a minor scuffle turned into a full-scale riot.
[transitive] + speech to start speaking
- ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he began, ‘welcome to the Town Hall.’
[transitive] not begin to do something to make no attempt to do something or have no chance of doing something
- I can't begin to thank you enough.
- He didn't even begin to understand my problem.

Word OriginOld English beginnan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German beginnen.

Idioms

charity begins at home

(saying) you should help and care for your own family, etc. before you start helping other people

to begin with

at first
- I found it tiring to begin with but I soon got used to it.
- We'll go slowly to begin with.
used to introduce the first point you want to make
- ‘What was it you didn't like?’ ‘Well, to begin with, our room was far too small.’