1. To take the first step in performing an action; start. 2. To come into being: when life began.3. To do or accomplish in the least degree: Those measures do not even begin to address the problem.
TRANSITIVE VERB:
1. To take the first step in doing; start: began work.2. To cause to come into being; originate. 3. To come first in: The numeral 1 begins the sequence.
ETYMOLOGY:
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).
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