begin
begin (bĭ-gĭnʹ) verb
began (-gănʹ), begun (-gŭnʹ), beginning, begins
verb, intransitive
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.
verb, transitive
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.
[Middle English biginnen, from Old English beginnan.]
Synonyms: begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate. These verbs are compared as they denote coming or putting into operation, being, or motion or setting about taking the first step, as in a procedure. Begin and commence are equivalent in meaning, though commence is more formal: began the race; a play that begins at eight o'clock; commenced her career as a scientist; festivities that commenced with the national anthem. Start is often interchangeable with begin and commence but can also imply setting out from a specific point, frequently following inaction: Stand and visit with me for a few minutes until the train starts. The telephone started ringing. Initiate applies to the act of taking the first steps in a process, without reference to what follows: The public hoped the government would initiate restrictions on imported goods. Inaugurate often connotes a formal beginning: "The exhibition inaugurated a new era of cultural relations between the Soviet Union and United States" (Serge Schmemann).