begin

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /bɪˈɡɪn/ or /bəˈɡɪn/ or /biˈɡɪn/

• Audio (UK)

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• Audio (US)

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Verb

Plain form begin

Third-person singular begins

Past tense began

Past participle begun

Present participle beginning

1. (transitive & intransitive) When you begin something, you start to do the first part of a longer action.
   • Synonyms: open, start and create
   • Antonyms: end, finish and stop

   A journey always begins with a first step.

   You can not get to the end of any job before you begin.

   He began to read the book at the first page.

Related words

• beginning
• beginner