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
The board began to shake and flash purple; my whole body jiggled.
—
Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The Yankees led, 4-3, going into the eighth, but the inning began to unravel when reliever Fernando Cruz issued a one-walk to Jakob Marsee.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2026
Winning Most Improved Player, the 26-year-old revealed Sunday, has been a personal goal of his since before the season began.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Their first power play began at the start of the second period, after Charlie McAvoy was called for roughing Sean Couturier at the end of the first.
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
While the helicopter was refueling, the suspect began driving through the Inland Empire on the 215 Freeway through Ontario and Fontana before heading up the 15 Freeway near Wrightwood and then through the Victorville-Hesperia area.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Buchanan began his career at an NAIA school, Indiana Wesleyan, before spending two years with Boise State.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 6 Apr. 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
Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The Yankees led, 4-3, going into the eighth, but the inning began to unravel when reliever Fernando Cruz issued a one-walk to Jakob Marsee.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2026
Winning Most Improved Player, the 26-year-old revealed Sunday, has been a personal goal of his since before the season began.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Their first power play began at the start of the second period, after Charlie McAvoy was called for roughing Sean Couturier at the end of the first.
—Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
While the helicopter was refueling, the suspect began driving through the Inland Empire on the 215 Freeway through Ontario and Fontana before heading up the 15 Freeway near Wrightwood and then through the Victorville-Hesperia area.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Buchanan began his career at an NAIA school, Indiana Wesleyan, before spending two years with Boise State.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 6 Apr. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for began
Verb
-
Trade with China commenced in 1553.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon shared the fun fact on X once the court commenced arguments Wednesday morning, but her post drew some backlash, with critics saying no such chair exists.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Carolyn Hax started her Washington Post advice column in 1997, after five years on the Style desk and none as a therapist.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The match started 90 minutes late due to rain over Hard Rock Stadium.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And the three who founded it in 1998 ran two unlicensed boarding schools in Missouri that have since been closed amid abuse allegations.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Keuilian, a stout, bearded fifty-one-year-old, founded Fit Body Boot Camp, a global personal-training franchise, in 2010, and now lives in Chino Hills, California.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Catch an impromptu movie at Cobble Hill Cinemas (Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens are mere blocks apart), a neighborhood joint that opened in the 1920s as the Lido.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Although a space for dialogue has opened, the distrust has hardly gone away.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The fourth dimension, which originated in the eighteenth century and was mathematically theorized in the nineteenth, both described diagrammable space and functioned as an expression of time.—
Katherine Rochester,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In practice, though, the list is largely made up of people who bump into each other at the Century Association or the Center for Architecture; even firms that originated abroad, like Snøhetta (Norway) and BIG (Denmark), have essentially become local.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The new collection builds on the garment dye story the brands established in 2022 with their first collaboration.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Mar. 2026
-
California established Cesar Chavez Day as an official paid holiday for state workers in 2000, according to the Los Angeles Times and SFGATE.—
Paris Barraza,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In 2008, Aaron Marino launched a YouTube channel called Alpha M.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Rapid Support Forces and their allies in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North launched a major offensive on Saturday on Dilling, the capital of South Kordofan province.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Chappel begins with two different visions of elder care that arose in the late nineteenth century.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The Giggly Squad co-hosts lightly addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the Bravo series, which arose after Amanda Batula and West Wilson confirmed their relationship on Tuesday.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Began.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/began. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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