begun

verb

past participle of begin
1
as in commenced
to take the first step in (a process or course of action) she began walking to work for exercise

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2
as in started
to come into existence the storm began late in the day and lasted all night

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3
as in founded
to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of the religious sect was begun by a small breakaway faction

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of begun His father, Charles, had expanded the New Jersey real estate development business his grandfather, a Polish Holocaust survivor, had begun after starting out as a construction laborer. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 The tenants union said North Lawn residents have also begun negotiations with new property owner, Shawn Johnson of Vital20 LLC and Rubicon Realty LLC. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026 Authorities in Nepal have begun mass burials of hundreds of unidentified victims whose bodies had started to decompose. — James Powel, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 The policy may have begun to impact the economy only in late 2023 or 2024 — years after the inflationary crisis began, and after inflation had already materially declined. — George Calhoun, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 NuCube Energy and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) have begun a research and development project to validate the heat-pipe technology at the heart of NuCube’s proposed advanced microreactor. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026 Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which patrols PCH in Malibu, has also begun posting photos of the cars the department impounded for excessive speeding. — Kara Finnstrom, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 While Pumpkin Spice Season has officially begun at Starbucks and a few other chains, many local shops aren't quite ready to be done with summer specials. — Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2026 The government said Khan’s supporters had begun gathering outside the private hospital in violation of the court order, which required them to stay away from the medical facility to avoid inconveniencing other patients. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for begun
  1. commenced
  2. started
  3. founded
  4. originated
  5. initiated
  6. arisen
  7. constituted
  8. been
Verb
  • The game commenced with four unanswered scores from Jenks and sloppy play from Southlake Carroll that included a handful of early penalties, messy substitutions and a lack of rhythm.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Cloud service agreements totaled $29 billion, with data center leases not commenced of $25 billion, equity investments of $25 billion, and capital expenditures of $8 billion.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of commenced
Verb
  • The nature of college football is that star players can emerge from relative anonymity, which makes predicting who will be the biggest before the season has even started a difficult endeavor.
    — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Alternative fuel sources saving some money for districts The Council Rock School District in lower Bucks County started migrating to propane back in the 2022-23 school year.
    — Chilekasi Adele, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of started
Verb
  • The company, founded in 1995, has grown through a combination of scale and acquisitions, building an operation that spans much of the food supply chain.
    — Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.
    — Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of founded
Verb
  • Curry originated the role onstage in London and immortalized it in 1975’s Rocky Horror Picture Show.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Curry originated the iconic role in the first production of Rocky Horror staged at London’s Royal Court Theatre.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of originated
Verb
  • SpaceX initiated a bond offering this week as the latest example, following Alphabet, which has raised capital through global debt markets multiple times.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Therefore, egg freezing should ideally be initiated in your 20s or early 30s when both egg quality and quantity are at their peak – not at 36 like AOC.
    — Dr. Jaime Knopman, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of initiated
Verb
  • Another question that has arisen as Walter’s financial troubles have garnered headlines is whether MLB would conduct its own investigation into Dodgers ownership or pressure the billionaire and his partners to sell the team.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Speculations have arisen about the possibilities that plants’ cellular consciousness is aware of cellular death beyond their immediate environment.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of arisen
Verb
  • Johnson, the East Moline Democrat who spurned membership on the working group, noted it was constituted by lawmakers who had publicly spoken out in support of Welch in the fallout over his handling of the Benton scandal.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In 1970 people with tenure or tenure-track jobs constituted 73% of those teaching at colleges and universities.
    — Paul Osterman, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of constituted
Verb
  • But nowhere have the politics of data centers been more strained than in the Wisconsin governor’s race.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
  • These are women in their late 30s, still single, who’ve been through relationships and are still trying, who could have had kids and haven’t, committed to their work and to enjoying themselves.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of been

Browse Nearby Words

beguiling
begun
behave
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Cite this Entry

“Begun.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/begun. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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