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
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Recent Examples of began
In the late 1970s, there began a set of processes which restored the autonomy of financial capital, reset the purpose of politics, and generated a number of formidable new competitors to the nation-state.
—
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
As the play died down, a female fan decked out in White Sox gear reportedly began mercilessly heckling the 24-year-old outfielder.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
The investigators began by interviewing the neighbors.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
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
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
Carter’s appointment follows a search that began last August.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 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
Literary Hub, 18 May 2026
As the play died down, a female fan decked out in White Sox gear reportedly began mercilessly heckling the 24-year-old outfielder.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
The investigators began by interviewing the neighbors.
—Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
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
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
Carter’s appointment follows a search that began last August.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 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
-
In an interview with People magazine published Wednesday, May 13, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos reflected on authorities' progress in the high-profile search operation, which commenced in early February after Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her home in Arizona.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
-
If dopamine neurons in the basal ganglia degenerate as happens in Parkinson’s disease, movements become harder to initiate and slower once they are commenced.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
That marked the weakest growth since December 2022, according to Wind data, as China started to loosen its Covid curbs.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
Then, in 2021, I was given the opportunity through a connection at The New York Times to submit an essay about a local organization I’d started six years prior called the Donkey Soccer League.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Two of Rubén’s older sons, who married Russian acrobats during international stints, broke off and founded their own troupe as Circus Caballero.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
-
The project is also a big venture for Blink49 Studios, the banner founded in 2021 by international TV veteran Morayniss, an alum of Entertainment One and Alliance Atlantis.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
In response to the growth of Russia’s dissent émigré community, new Russian language bookstores have opened from Prague to London.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The latest private-members country club to have opened in Oxfordshire, wrapped in a Jacobethan hall with parkland, is a humdinger with an instant cachet.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Exactly where in Sacramento County the cases originated has not been released.—
Cecilio Padilla,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
-
Alex Mahon was in charge of Channel 4 during the period when the MAFS allegations originated.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
OpenAI had already established a for-profit subsidiary.—
Ashley Capoot,Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
Meanwhile, the resurgence of Eurasian empires—notably China and Russia—strikes at the heart of the cellular order established under American hegemony.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Traditional tendencies were given license to run wild starting in the 1980s, when China’s communist government launched an era of breakneck economic liberalization.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
Two new literary awards, Books of Freedom by Freedom Letters, and Dar, organized by writer Mikhail Shishkin, have been launched explicitly to honor Russian-language books that cannot be published in Russia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The sides agreed to the terms of the first three years, but disputes arose over the final year.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
Hence, enterprise software and, eventually, supply chain software development companies arose.—
Steve Banker,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Began.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/began. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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