begun
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
be·gun
(bĭ-gŭn′)v.
Past participle of begin.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
begun
(bɪˈɡʌn)vb
the past participle of begin
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
be•gin
(bɪˈgɪn)v. be•gan, be•gun, be•gin•ning. v.i.
1. to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of an action; start.
2. to come into existence; arise; originate: The custom began during the war.
3. to have a first part: The name begins with a C.
v.t. 4. to proceed to perform the first or earliest part of: Begin the job tomorrow.
5. to originate; be the originator of: those who began the reform movement.
6. to succeed to the slightest extent in (fol. by an infinitive): The money won't begin to cover expenses.
[before 1000; Middle English beginnen, Old English beginnan]
syn: begin, commence, initiate, start (when followed by noun or gerund) refer to setting into motion or progress something that continues for some time. begin is the common term: to begin knitting a sweater. commence is a more formal word, often suggesting a more prolonged or elaborate beginning: to commence proceedings in court. initiate implies an active and often ingenious first act in a new field: to initiate a new procedure. start means to make a first move or to set out on a course of action: to start paving a street.
Be•gin
(ˈbeɪ gɪn)n.
Menachem, 1913–92, Israeli political leader, born in Poland: prime minister 1977–83; Nobel peace prize 1978.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Translations
begin
(biˈgin) – present participle beˈginning: past tense began (biˈgan) : past participle begun (biˈgan) – verb to come or bring, into being, to start. He began to talk; The meeting began early.
beˈginning nounbeˈginner noun
someone who is just learning how to do something. `Does he paint well?' `He's not bad for a beginner'.
to begin with1. at first. I didn't like him to begin with, but now he's one of my best friends.
2. firstly. There are many reasons why I don't like her – to begin with, she doesn't tell the truth.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.