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
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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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of begun
And by the time the album was released, attempts had begun to recon-cile Jesus Christ—that figure of childhood and the Church and the establishment—with popular culture.
—
Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
About two years after Costco opened, the area has begun to see a lot more development.
—Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
The astronauts have also begun packing for their trip home.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 Jan. 2026
The last thing the city needs is a repeat of Victory Park, the anodyne development hitched to the American Airlines Center that, more than two decades after its inception, has only begun to find traction as a vibrant community — and may lose it if its primary tenants depart.
—Mark Lamster
architecture Critic, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
But both men have begun moving more of their assets to Florida, according to multiple reports.
—Michael R. Blood, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Motherhood has already begun reshaping the way Sydney relates to her music.
—Holly Alvarado, Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026
The preparation has already begun for 2026, particularly in the weight room, where games can be lost or won in the offseason.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
However, the first unmasking came before the episode had even begun.
—Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for begun
Verb
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Officials then searched the children’s home and commenced an air and ground search.—
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In 2012, whiskey production commenced at the distillery, with bottles hitting the market a few years later.—
Verb
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The year started with a four-day streak of 70-degree highs; however, Oklahoma will soon see temperatures dip a bit into the mid-50s and 60s at the start of next week, with some parts of the state expecting snow.—
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Sean Kuraly had a goal and an assist, Tanner Jeannot had two assists, and the Boston Bruins started a five-game homestand with a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.—
Verb
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However, former Federal Air Marshal Peter Johnson — who founded Archway Defense, which has trained state, local and federal law enforcement in firearms for the past decade — told WCCO the street is not the place to challenge a federal agent's orders.—
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Brooklyn is also one of several franchises that have centralized video storage, search and distribution workflows through ScorePlay, a startup founded in France, headquartered in New York and growing in the NBA.—
Verb
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Read along to find out about where the viral social media trend originated from.—
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Those roles originated at the Booth Theatre on Broadway by Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, respectively.—
Verb
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The trooper initiated a traffic stop to investigate, and the driver, identified as Ezeiruaku, was arrested.—
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In accordance with its responsibilities, the supervisory board, with the support of specialized external lawyers, immediately initiated an investigation into the incidents upon becoming aware of the allegations.—
Verb
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Since then, controversies have arisen over several judicial decisions.—
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The dispute highlights conflicts that have arisen as climate change has driven increasingly large and frequent wildfires in California while the number of homes in and beside forests and other fire-risk areas has skyrocketed.—
Verb
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That constituted a third of the district’s irrigable farmland.—
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In remarks published online, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry criticized the United States and suggested the attack constituted a violation of international law.—
Verb
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In Australia, the debate has been more fraught than almost anywhere else, and so the government’s announcement caught out even those who’ve been at the negotiating table.—
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Sharpe also been an organizer of Bockfest and was the development director of former local radio station WNKU.—
Cite this Entry
“Begun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/begun. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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