begin
1. take the first step or steps in carrying out an action (Freq. 375)
- We began working at dawn
- Who will start?
- Get working as soon as the sun rises!
- The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia
- He began early in the day
- Let's get down to work now
• Syn:
get down, get, start out, start, set about,
set out, commence
• Ant:
end
• Derivationally related forms:
commencement (for: commence), start (for: start), starter (for: start), beginner, beginning
• Hyponyms:
recommence, strike out, fall, jump off, get to,
auspicate, attack, break in, plunge, launch, come on,
embark, enter, get cracking, bestir oneself, get going, get moving,
get weaving, get started, get rolling
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
- Somebody ----s
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE
- Somebody ----s VERB-ing
- They begin moving
- They begin to move
2. have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense (Freq. 57)
- The DMZ begins right over the hill
- The second movement begins after the Allegro
- Prices for these homes start at $250,000
• Syn:
start
• Ant:
end
• Derivationally related forms:
start (for: start)
• Hyponyms:
erupt, break out, bud, set in, kick in,
dawn, originate
• Verb Group:
start
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
- Something is ----ing PP
- Something ----s something
3. set in motion, cause to start (Freq. 27)
- The U.S. started a war in the Middle East
- The Iraqis began hostilities
- begin a new chapter in your life
• Syn:
lead off, start, commence
• Ant:
end
• Derivationally related forms:
commencement (for: commence), start (for: start), beginner, beginning
• Hyponyms:
jumpstart, jump-start, recommence, inaugurate, usher in,
introduce, set off, start, start up, embark on, commence
• Cause:
start
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Something ----s something
4. begin to speak or say (Freq. 9)
- "Now listen, friends," he began
• Hypernyms:
talk, speak, utter, mouth, verbalize, verbalise
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s
- They won't begin the story
5. be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series
- The number 'one' begins the sequence
- A terrible murder begins the novel
- The convocation ceremony officially begins the semester
• Derivationally related forms:
beginning
• Verb Group:
start
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s something
6. have a beginning, of a temporal event
- WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland
- The company's Asia tour begins next month
• Hypernyms:
be
• Verb Group:
start, lead off, commence
• Verb Frames:
- Something is ----ing PP
7. have a beginning characterized in some specified way
- The novel begins with a murder
- My property begins with the three maple trees
- Her day begins with a workout
- The semester begins with a convocation ceremony
• Syn:
start
• Derivationally related forms:
start (for: start)
• Hypernyms:
be
• Verb Group:
start
• Verb Frames:
- Something is ----ing PP
8. begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
- begin a cigar
- She started the soup while it was still hot
- We started physics in 10th grade
• Syn:
start
• Derivationally related forms:
start (for: start)
• Hypernyms:
act, move
• Verb Group:
start
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
9. achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative
- This economic measure doesn't even begin to deal with the problem of inflation
- You cannot even begin to understand the problem we had to deal with during the war
• Hypernyms:
achieve, accomplish, attain, reach
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s something
10. begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language
- She began Russian at an early age
- We started French in fourth grade
• Verb Group:
get down, get, start out, start, set about,
set out, commence
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
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