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| be·gin [ bi gín ] (past be·gan [ bi gán ], past participle be·gun [ bə gún ], present participle be·gin·ning, 3rd person present singular be·gins) |
verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive and intransitive verb start: to do something that was not being done before
  People began to leave.
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2. transitive and intransitive verb have as its starting point: to have as its starting point, first action, or first part, or be the starting point or first part of something
The story begins with a birthday party.
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3. transitive and intransitive verb come or bring into being: to come into existence, or cause something to come into existence or take place
The business began as a two-person operation.
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4. transitive verb undertake something for first time: to undertake, use, or give attention to something for the first time
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5. transitive and intransitive verb start to speak: to start to say something, or start by saying something
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6. transitive verb be capable of something: to be able to succeed in accomplishing a task
(
used in negative statements
)
The salary doesn't even begin to meet her expectations.
I couldn't begin to explain how awful it was.
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| [ Old English beginnan< Germanic] |
