• IPA: /bɪˈɡɪn/, /bəˈɡɪn/, /biˈɡɪn/

begin (begins, present participle beginning; past began, past participle begun)

1. (ambitransitive) To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.

   I began playing the piano at the age of five.   Now that everyone is here, we should begin the presentation.

   • a. 1705, John Locke, “An Examination of P[ère] Malebranche’s Opinion of Seeing All Things in God”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, OCLC 6963663 ↗, paragraph 41, page 175 ↗:

     The Apoſtle begins our Knowledge in the Creatures, which lead us to the Knowledge of God, if we will make uſe of our Reaſon: [...]

   • 1712, Alexander Pope, Messiah:

     Ye nymphs of Solyma! begin the song.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898)​, Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., OCLC 222716698 ↗, page 48 ↗:

     Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.

2. (intransitive) To be in the first stage of some situation

   The program begins at 9 o'clock on the dot.    I rushed to get to class on time, but the lesson had already begun.

3. (intransitive) To come into existence.
   • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify ), London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], OCLC 960856019 ↗:

• commence
• initiate
• start

• French: commencer, démarrer, mettre
• German: anfangen, beginnen, starten, anheben
• Italian: cominciare, iniziare
• Portuguese: começar, iniciar
• Russian: начина́ть
• Spanish: comenzar, iniciar, empezar, principiar

begin (plural begins)

1. (nonstandard) Beginning; start.