began

[bih-gan] / bɪˈgæn /

VERB

start

Synonyms

STRONGEST

commence create do establish found go ahead go into inaugurate initiate introduce launch lead make open prepare produce set up undertake

STRONG

activate actualize cause drive effect eventuate generate impel induce instigate institute motivate mount occasion originate trigger

WEAK

break ground break the ice bring about bring to pass embark on enter on enter upon get going give birth to give impulse lay foundation for make active plunge into set about set in motion

Antonyms

STRONGEST

cease close conclude destroy end fail finish halt ignore lose neglect ruin stop

STRONG

check discourage dissuade prevent repress

WEAK

complete consummate die

VERB

come into being; become functional

Synonyms

STRONGEST

appear come out commence emerge enter happen occur rise set start take off

STRONG

arise bud dawn emanate germinate originate sail spring sprout

WEAK

be born come forth come into existence crop up derive from get going get show on road get under way grow out of issue forth kick off make tick proceed from result from send off stem from

Antonyms

STRONGEST

complete disappear end finish hide leave stop

STRONG

die shrink

WEAK

conclude consummate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But in 2018, China closed its doors to foreign garbage, so U.S. exporters began dumping their waste in smaller southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Vietnam.

From Los Angeles Times

It is now higher than it was in early September, before the Fed began cutting short-term interest rates.

From MarketWatch

It had been just over 13 years since Sullivan, who now works in corporate development, first began helping his former interpreter in Afghanistan petition for a visa to live in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Detectives began investigating allegations into Mr Brand which came to light following reporting from the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4's Dispatches in September 2023.

From BBC

When Levis began working with leprosy in the lab in the early 1980s, it appealed to him primarily as a model for studying immune response.

From The Wall Street Journal