BEGIN • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Begin

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/bɪgˈɪn/ Listen

verb

Begin v. t.

(past & past part. began, begun; pres. part. beginning) To enter on; to commence. "Ye nymphs of Solyma! begin the song."

To trace or lay the foundation of; to make or place a beginning of. "The apostle begins our knowledge in the creatures, which leads us to the knowledge of God."

Synonyms: To commence; originate; set about; start.

Begin v. i. (past & past part. began, begun; pres. part. beginning)

To have or commence an independent or first existence; to take rise; to commence. "Vast chain of being! which from God began."

To do the first act or the first part of an action; to enter upon or commence something new, as a new form or state of being, or course of action; to take the first step; to start. "Tears began to flow." "When I begin, I will also make an end."

noun

Begin n. Beginning. (Poetic & Obs.)

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Etymology of 'Begin'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Begin" Quotes from Famous Books

... heart, and mind, and temper, which is essential to a woman's happiness, had to begin when it ought to have been completed—at her marriage. Most unfortunate it was for her, that ere the first twelvemonth of their wedded life had passed, Captain Rothesay was forced to depart for Jamaica, whence was derived his wife's little fortune; their whole fortune now, ...

— Olive - A Novel • Dinah Maria Craik, (AKA Dinah Maria Mulock)

... equally pertinent may be looked upon as possible witnesses for the Coroner's jury. That this may be done speedily and surely, I am going to ask you, every one of you, to retake the exact place in the building which you were occupying when you heard the first alarm. I will begin with the Curator himself. Mr. Jewett, will you be so good as to return to the room, and if possible to the precise spot, you were occupying when you first learned ...

— The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow • Anna Katharine Green

... not want to trouble you, for they told me you did not like to have women here." He laughed, and said: "I guess we'll all be glad enough to have you! Not many of your sort. First thing they all do is to begin to make trouble, and it always takes two men to wait on ...

— Half a Century • Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm

... bishops in the matter of public extemporaneous prayer and they yielded. I bearded the poor, hunted president in his den, and yet was re-elected to my position. I was slowly winning a way, but quickly losing faith in the value of the way won. Was this the place to begin my life work? Was this the work which I was best fitted to do? What business had I, anyhow, to teach Greek when I had studied men? I grew sure that I had made a mistake. So I determined to leave Wilberforce and try elsewhere. Thus, the third ...

— Darkwater - Voices From Within The Veil • W. E. B. Du Bois

... the army marched through Bulgaria, traces of Peter and his army begin to appear. Refugees who had hidden in the woods came to the camps in rags and emaciation. The castle where Rinaldo sought refuge was pointed out to the new comers as the tomb of all his companions. The mountain at the foot of which Walter's ...

— Peter the Hermit - A Tale of Enthusiasm • Daniel A. Goodsell

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