| noun | the event consisting of the start of something “the beginning of the war” |
| noun | the time at which something is supposed to begin “they got an early start” |
| noun | the first part or section of something “`It was a dark and stormy night' is a hackneyed beginning for a story” |
| noun | the place where something begins, where it springs into being “the Italian beginning of the Renaissance” |
| noun | the act of starting something “he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations” |
| verb | take the first step or steps in carrying out an action “We began working at dawn” |
| verb | have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense “The DMZ begins right over the hill” |
| verb | set in motion, cause to start “The U.S. started a war in the Middle East” |
| verb | begin to speak or say; he began “Now listen, friends,” |
| verb | be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series “The number `one' begins the sequence” |
| verb | have a beginning, of a temporal event “WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland” |
| verb | have a beginning characterized in some specified way “The novel begins with a murder” |
| verb | begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object “begin a cigar” |
| verb | 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” |
| verb | begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language “She began Russian at an early age” |
| adjective | serving to begin “the beginning canto of the poem” |
| begin | verb | set in motion, cause to start |
| start | verb | begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job |
| kick off | verb | commence officially |
| originate | verb | begin a trip at a certain point, as of a plane, train, bus, etc. |
| root | verb | come into existence, originate |
| commence | verb | get off the ground |
| beginner | noun | someone new to a field or activity |
| beginning | noun | the act of starting something |
| start | noun | the act of starting something |
| starter | noun | any new participant in some activity |
| commencement | noun | the act of starting something |