begin

be|gin [ bı`gın ] (past tense be|gan [ bı`gæn ] ; past participle be|gun [ bı`gʌn ] ; present participle be|gin|ning) verb ***

1. ) transitive to start doing something:

begin doing something: He began shouting at them.

begin to do something: Suddenly the rain began to fall.

be just beginning to do something (=to be at the earliest stage of doing something): The buds were just beginning to open.

─ opposite STOP

a ) transitive to start feeling or thinking something:

begin to do something: Now we were beginning to feel excited.

I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever find you!

b ) intransitive or transitive to make an activity or process start or exist:

Their truck began the steep descent to the village.

The police have already begun their investigation.

begin (something) as something: He began his working life as a waiter.

begin (something) by doing something: I'd like to begin by thanking you all for coming.

begin (something) with something: We began the meeting with a discussion about the budget.

─ opposite END, FINISH

c ) intransitive to start speaking:

At last, he began I thought you were never coming.

─ opposite CONCLUDE

d ) transitive to give your attention to something for the first time:

I began the book with high hopes.

─ opposite FINISH

2. ) intransitive to start happening or existing:

My troubles began the night I met Roger.

The ceremony is due to begin at noon.

She felt her life was just beginning.

begin as: It began as a practical joke.

a ) begin with if a sentence, book, etc. begins with a particular letter, word, etc., that is the first one in it:

We usually use an before a word beginning with a vowel.

b ) if a place begins somewhere, that is the first point where you consider it to be

c ) begin with if an activity or process begins with something, that is the first thing that happens in it:

All meals begin with a short prayer.

The competition began with one of the teams being disqualified.

d ) to start speaking:

It isn't like that , he began, but Ben interrupted him.

can't begin to imagine/understand/explain etc. SPOKEN

used for emphasizing that something is very difficult to imagine, understand, etc.:

I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for him, bringing up three kids on his own.

it all began

used for introducing a long story or account of something:

It all began on one stormy night in May 1998.

to begin with

1. ) SPOKEN used for introducing the first thing in a list of things you are going to say:

Why were you annoyed? Well, to begin with, I hadn't even invited her.

2. ) before or during the first part of an activity or process:

How did you get involved to begin with?