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began

American  
[bih-gan] / bɪˈgæn /

verb

  1. the simple past tense of begin.

began British  
/ bɪˈɡæn /

verb

  1. the past tense of begin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sporadic system sales and government contracts lent the pure-plays credibility, and many began to bring in more revenue.

From Barron's

Late last year, the Pentagon began discussing changing its contracts with AI companies so that they could use the technology in all lawful use cases.

From The Wall Street Journal

Stocks initially fell and oil prices surged in the first trading day since the strikes began.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the boom in shale fracking that began in the mid-2000s unleashed cheap and abundant natural gas.

From The Wall Street Journal

He has offered several competing narratives since the operation began, ranging from regime change to eliminating Iran’s threats to the U.S. to cutting a deal with new leadership in Tehran.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.