beginning

1 of 2

noun

be·​gin·​ning bi-ˈgi-niŋ How to pronounce beginning (audio)
bē-
1
: the point at which something begins : start
It was clear from the beginning that she would win.
2
: the first part
We missed the beginning of the movie.
3
: origin, source
No one remembers what the beginning of the feud was.
4
: a rudimentary stage or early period
usually used in plural
the company's modest beginnings in an old warehouse
She came from humble beginnings.

beginning

2 of 2

adjective

1
: just starting out
a beginning writer
2
a
: being first or the first part
the beginning chapters
b
: introductory
beginning chemistry

Examples of beginning in a Sentence

Noun Go back to the beginning of the song. We were late, so we missed the beginning of the movie. The changes that have been made so far are just the beginning. There are many more changes still to come. He came from humble beginnings. the company's modest beginnings in an old warehouse Adjective the beginning part of the book is a portrait of Europe on the eve of the World War I a course in beginning geology for nonscience majors
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Everything about the process becomes more difficult when the person has died at the beginning of a three-day weekend. David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024 And as executives at the company will be quick to tell you, unlike many other big streamers, Peacock was ad-supported from the beginning. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024 There is a kind of threshold between not living and living at the beginning of life and at the end of life, and law does not belong there. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Shnaider, 19, won her first WTA Tour title at the Thailand Open at the beginning of February and reached another final at the Fifth Third Charleston last week. Matias Grez, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 The couple were most recently spotted on vacation together in Mexico at the beginning of March. Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 Costco leadership noted that more people had begun sharing membership cards since the beginning of the pandemic. Angela L. Pagán / The Takeout, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024 Long Beach State fired its coach, Dan Monson, before the beginning of the Big West tournament. The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024 Tickets for the tour will go on sale to the general public beginning Thursday (March 21) via Ticketmaster. Check out the full list of dates on the tour poster below. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Jamie Haller started her brand during the beginning months of the pandemic in 2020. Talia Abbas, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024 The very beginning stages can feel very intimidating! Christa Sgobba, SELF, 25 Jan. 2024 Nonetheless, the kickback swept in hard during the beginning months of 1986, and many of the complaints came from Black male artists and thinkers. Scott Hocker, theweek, 7 Jan. 2024 At the very beginning stages of talking to Greta, Tom [Ackerley, Barbie producer], Margot and I went to New York and met with Noah [Baumbach, co-writer] and Greta. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2023 The beginning scene swiftly transitions to a courtroom, where Gary sways the jurors with this same power of persuasion that’s reminiscent of the call and response of the baptist church. Lynnette Nicholas, Essence, 6 Nov. 2023 The very beginning moments of In Utero are Dave clicking his sticks to cue in the rest of the band to start the song. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2023 For the beginning bass fisherman looking to level up the game and try their hand at a casting rod, Duckett’s Silverado Casting rod doubles up as my best bass fishing rod for beginners pick as well. Rob McDonald, Field & Stream, 13 Sep. 2023 Overconsumption of luxury goods reigned throughout the beginning years of the 2000s. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beginning.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English biginning, from gerund of beginnen "to begin"

Adjective

from present participle of begin

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of beginning was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near beginning

Cite this Entry

“Beginning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beginning. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beginning

noun
be·​gin·​ning
bi-ˈgin-iŋ
1
: the point at which something begins
the beginning of the year
2
: the first part
go back to the beginning of the song
3
: an early stage or period
the beginnings of American history

More from Merriam-Webster on beginning

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!