v., -gan (-găn'), -gun (-gŭn'), -gin·ning, -gins. v.intr.
- 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.
- 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 begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate. 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 American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
