begin

/bɪɡˈɪn/ · 2 syllables

Meaning

verb

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
“We began working at dawn”
have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
“The DMZ begins right over the hill”
set in motion, cause to start
“The U.S. started a war in the Middle East”
begin to speak or say
“`Now listen, friends', he began”
be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series
“The number `one' begins the sequence”
have a beginning, of a temporal event
“WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland”
have a beginning characterized in some specified way
“The novel begins with a murder”
begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
“begin a cigar”
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”
begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language
“She began Russian at an early age”

noun

Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)

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