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.

Once hunted to extinction in France, wolves began crossing over from Italy after gaining protected status under the 1979 Bern Convention.

From Barron's

What began as markets pricing the risk of slowing software revenue growth has turned into an assessment of longer-term disruption risks, they added.

From Barron's

Duvall began acting professionally at the Gateway Playhouse, a summer theatre in Long Island, where he starred in plays by Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and others.

From BBC

Those balloons never made it to outer space, but when the Ukraine war began, he remembered their utility.

From The Wall Street Journal

The project began in 2020 when Jack Devlin, then a Ph.D. student, was struck by a documentary about plastic pollution before later moving to Scotland to work as a marine ornithologist.

From Science Daily