began

verb

past tense of begin
1
as in commenced
to take the first step in (a process or course of action) she began walking to work for exercise

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in started
to come into existence the storm began late in the day and lasted all night

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of began In more recent times, moreover, the first steps taken by the Third Reich toward the Holocaust began with the economic boycott of the Jews, who were accused of harming the businesses and positions of their Aryan counterparts. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026 The competition began in 2013 as an idea from the Murrell family to celebrate the franchise’s crew. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026 Blondie began sessions for the LP in 2022 and recorded in New York City with producer John Congleton, who collaborated with the band on 2017’s Pollinator. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026 The journey began earlier this week after the world’s first commercial ship-to-ship transfer of green ammonia as marine propulsion fuel. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026 Pomeroy’s team led subsequent research, which began new excavations at the site in 2015, that has cast doubt on the flower burial theory. — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 Disney+ and Hulu began adding outside podcasts, unrelated to their show programming, earlier this year, after striking a licensing deal with podcast network Headgum. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Jarrett Ortiz Jarrett Ortiz’s journey at Estée Lauder began over five years ago through the Drexel University cooperative education program. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026 Jones was regularly unemployed throughout the relationship, which began in the fall of 2023, according to state prosecutors in Tarrant County. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for began
  1. commenced
  2. started
  3. founded
  4. opened
  5. originated
  6. established
  7. launched
  8. arose
Verb
  • The evening commenced with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as literary and fashion insiders arrived at the private members club.
    — Brianna J. Heath, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Zedwell responded by asking to include a redevelopment break clause in the new lease that would entitle them to terminate the lease at 6 months’ notice at any time once the new lease has commenced.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of commenced
Verb
  • Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.
    — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Once the animals had learned to associate each of the six scents with a particular reward location, researchers started swapping the scent-location pairs.
    — Sean Mccabe, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of started
Verb
  • The sisters also founded fashion accessories label Dannijo in 2008, expanding into sports with DannijoPro.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Trump posted a video Thursday night that directly called El-Sayed a member of the group, which was founded in Egypt; his administration has designated chapters as terrorist organizations.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of founded
Verb
  • The foundation has also supported Dell Children’s Medical Center, which opened in 2007, and the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, helping expand access to specialized children’s care and medical research in the region.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The 2-3 Rams, who opened the season as Super Bowl favorites, released kicker Harrison Mevis after last Monday’s overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills and signed Grupe from the New York Jets practice squad.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of opened
Verb
  • For example, seven-year ARMs that originated in 2019 and face their first reset this year from August through December have a median initial rate of 3% and a median unpaid balance of $548,000, ICE data shows.
    — Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Wimmer says Schlingheider has evaded his questions about where the image originated.
    — Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of originated
Verb
  • The result nevertheless established an auction record for the artist.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Curated by Javier Garcia Puerto, the program has been celebrating filmmakers who challenge cinematic conventions, bringing together emerging voices and established directors.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of established
Verb
  • Instead, as Israel moved closer to a historic agreement with Saudi Arabia, Hamas launched an assault that upended the region, plunging it into war.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • When the Gulf state launched its golden visa in 2019, the government offered 10-year residency to people who could invest at least $545,000 into property as well as to researchers, teachers and specialized talent.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of launched
Verb
  • Zacharia's qualifications and background quickly came under scrutiny as questions arose over her résumé.
    — Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The Rev’s powers and platforms and friends still had their uses, though, as when the matter of the funeral arose.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of arose

Browse Nearby Words

beg
began
beget
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Cite this Entry

“Began.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/began. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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