1
as in commenced
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
she began walking to work for exercise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in started
to come into existence
the storm began late in the day and lasted all night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in founded
to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of
the religious sect was begun by a small breakaway faction
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of began
Bloom reveals the pair hit it off straight away, and that he was especially charmed by how Barrymore, who began acting at only 11 months old, made an effort to connect with all of the kids on set, too.
—
EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Season 5, episode 11 began with Tommy (Gina Torres) learning that her tumors are growing in size, giving her possibly just days to live.
—EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Despite being a commoner, Harald broke his father’s rule and began dating Sonja, but Olav ordered Harald to cut off contact with her once he was made aware of their relationship.
—Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Hilton immediately began giving back to her community and volunteered at the Pasadena Humane Society.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Carter’s appointment follows a search that began last August.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
The two began dating after filming wrapped and got married in 2022.
—EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
The grave became a place of veneration, then a site of controversy in the early 2000s when Little Round Top’s owner began to shoo away the curious.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025
Fighting In Kursk Last summer, Kyiv began a military incursion into the southwestern Russian region, which borders Ukraine's Sumy Oblast.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Season 5, episode 11 began with Tommy (Gina Torres) learning that her tumors are growing in size, giving her possibly just days to live.
—EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Despite being a commoner, Harald broke his father’s rule and began dating Sonja, but Olav ordered Harald to cut off contact with her once he was made aware of their relationship.
—Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Hilton immediately began giving back to her community and volunteered at the Pasadena Humane Society.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Carter’s appointment follows a search that began last August.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025
The two began dating after filming wrapped and got married in 2022.
—EW.com, 28 Jan. 2025
The grave became a place of veneration, then a site of controversy in the early 2000s when Little Round Top’s owner began to shoo away the curious.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2025
Fighting In Kursk Last summer, Kyiv began a military incursion into the southwestern Russian region, which borders Ukraine's Sumy Oblast.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for began
Verb
-
The company has not commenced any operations and does not expect to generate operating revenues until after completing a business combination.—
Quartz Bot,
Quartz,
27 Dec. 2024
-
An epic hoedown commenced, complete with line dancing where Blue Ivy joined in for the finale.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
25 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
The cold of the night had returned, and the baby had started to shiver.—
Karen Zautyk,
New York Daily News,
24 Dec. 2024
-
That’s quite a feat for a team that started playing football in 1925.—
Josh Kendall,
The Athletic,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Printemps Group was founded in 1865 and operates 20 department stores in France.—
Melissa Repko,
CNBC,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Motivated by these stories, Riley founded the Transition Academy.—
J.M. Banks,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Southern Soul was among the early wave of new-school restaurants that opened just after the turn of the 21st century, giving contemporary twists to old Southern classics.—
Robert F. Moss,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Skerry opened a walk-through inside two ballrooms at the Washington Marriott Georgetown by imploring the players to tighten up a defense that almost squandered a 15-point lead on Sunday against Drexel.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
With federal loans, the interest rate is determined by the year the loan originated, not by the characteristics of the borrower.—
Ivana Saric,
Axios,
24 Mar. 2025
-
There was something almost baptismal about stepping into the flow, which had originated in the hills east of Rome and soon enveloped me up to the waist in an icy caress.—
Tony Perrottet,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Send Out Invitations Plans should be clearly established well ahead of time.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Bayern Munich set up theirs in 1970, Barcelona established one in 1988 and Liverpool did so the following year — although Juventus, Milan, Manchester United and Dortmund only came on board from the late 2010s onwards.—
Guillermo Rai,
The Athletic,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Six of the submarines have been launched already, while the seventh is being constructed.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Mar. 2025
-
Specialist audio brand iFi has launched its latest product in the form of the iDSD Valkyrie.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
From this desolation arose the Messianic faith of Christianity, which, after the conversion of the Emperor Constantine in 312, eventually became the Roman Empire’s sole state religion.—
Adam Gopnik,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
-
The demonstrations in over a dozen cities arose from concerns that Erdogan was clamping down on the opposition.—
Kevin Sabet,
Newsweek,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Began.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/began. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share