beginning Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. noun the event consisting of the start of something
   
   • the beginning of the war
2. noun the time at which something is supposed to begin
   outset; get-go; showtime; starting time; kickoff; start; offset; commencement; first.
   
   • they got an early start
   • she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her
3. noun the first part or section of something
   
   • `It was a dark and stormy night' is a hackneyed beginning for a story
4. noun the place where something begins, where it springs into being
   origin; root; rootage; source.
   
   • the Italian beginning of the Renaissance
   • Jupiter was the origin of the radiation
   • Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River
   • communism's Russian root
5. noun the act of starting something
   start; commencement.
   
   • he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations
6. verb take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
   begin; get; start out; set about; start; set out; get down; commence.
   
   • 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
7. verb have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
   start; begin.
   
   • The DMZ begins right over the hill
   • The second movement begins after the Allegro
   • Prices for these homes start at $250,000
8. verb set in motion, cause to start
   lead off; start; begin; commence.
   
   • The U.S. started a war in the Middle East
   • The Iraqis began hostilities
   • begin a new chapter in your life
9. verb begin to speak or say
   begin.
   
   • Now listen, friends," he began
10. verb be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series
    begin.
    
    • The number `one' begins the sequence
    • A terrible murder begins the novel
    • The convocation ceremony officially begins the semester
11. verb have a beginning, of a temporal event
    begin.
    
    • WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland
    • The company's Asia tour begins next month
12. verb have a beginning characterized in some specified way
    start; begin.
    
    • 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
13. verb begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
    start; begin.
    
    • begin a cigar
    • She started the soup while it was still hot
    • We started physics in 10th grade
14. verb achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative
    begin.
    
    • 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
15. verb begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language
    begin.
    
    • She began Russian at an early age
    • We started French in fourth grade
16. adjective satellite serving to begin
    first.
    
    • the beginning canto of the poem
    • the first verse

WordNet