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v. be·gan (-găn), be·gun (-gŭn), be·gin·ning, be·gins v.intr. 1. To perform or undergo the first part of an action; start: I began to email you but got interrupted. The rain began around noon. 2. To come into being: when life began. 3. To do or accomplish something in the least degree. Used in the negative with an infinitive: Those measures do not even begin to address the problem. 4. To say as the first in a series of remarks: "I didn't like the movie," he began. 5. a. To have as a first element or part: The play begins with a monologue. b. To have as the lowest price in a range: Those shirts begin at $20. c. To have as a first position, stage, or job: The restaurant began as a ice-cream parlor. The principal began as a math teacher. v.tr. 1. To take the first step in doing; start: began work. 2. To cause to come into being; originate: an invention that began a new era. 3. To come first in (a series, for instance): The numeral 1 begins the sequence. [Middle English biginnen, from Old English beginnan.] Synonyms: begin, start, commence, launch1, initiate, inaugurate These verbs mean to take the initial step in doing something. Begin and start are the most general: The conductor began the program with a medley of waltzes. We started our journey in Montreal. Commence is a more formal term and often implies that what is beginning is something of seriousness or importance: "ceremoniously brandishing the scalpel with which he was about to commence the apprentice's first lesson in anatomy" (John Gregory Brown). Launch suggests beginning something with energy and expectation: She looked for a job that could launch her career as a journalist. Initiate applies to taking the first steps in a process or procedure: 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). |
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