Antonyms for begin


Grammar : Verb
Spell : bih-gin
Phonetic Transcription : bɪˈgɪn


Definition of begin

Origin :
  • Old English beginnan "to begin, attempt, undertake," a rare word beside the more usual form onginnan (class III strong verb; past tense ongann, past participle ongunnen); from bi- (see be-) + West Germanbic *ginnan, of obscure meaning and found only in compounds, perhaps "to open, open up" (cf. Old High German in-ginnan "to cut open, open up," also "begin, undertake"), with sense evolution from "open" to "begin." Cognates elsewhere in Germanic include Old Frisian biginna "to begin," Middle Dutch beghinnen, Old High German beginnan, German beginnen, Old Frisian bijenna "to begin," Gothic duginnan.
  • verb start
  • verb come into being; become functional
Example sentences :
  • She suggested the 4th of July to him as the time to begin operations.
  • Extract from : « Harriet, The Moses of Her People » by Sarah H. Bradford
  • Foreigners, especially Greeks, begin to dominate the country.
  • Extract from : « Ancient Man » by Hendrik Willem van Loon
  • The bell had rung—the curtain was up and the performances were about to begin.
  • Extract from : « Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327 » by Various
  • And let there be no misunderstanding—we are going to begin to act, beginning today.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • But he has played so many of these jokes that they begin to lose their effect.
  • Extract from : « Monsieur du Muroir (From "Mosses From An Old Manse") » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Now hurry into your dressing gown and let's begin our letters.
  • Extract from : « Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus » by Jessie Graham Flower
  • Try as she might she could think of no effectual way to begin.
  • Extract from : « Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus » by Jessie Graham Flower
  • All I can do is to go away where no one knows me, and begin over again.
  • Extract from : « Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus » by Jessie Graham Flower
  • Or perhaps it would be safer to begin with raspberries and cream.
  • Extract from : « Life and Death of Harriett Frean » by May Sinclair
  • After all she was about to begin the work she herself had chosen.
  • Extract from : « Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus » by Jessie Graham Flower

Synonyms for begin

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019