beginning

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The point in time or space at which something starts.

   Grammar: Often singular with the: the beginning of the movie; can take an of phrase.

   Patterns

   • the beginning of something
   • at the beginning
   • from the beginning

   I missed the beginning of the lecture, so I was confused.

   At the beginning of the year, she set three goals.

   The story is slow at first, but it improves from the beginning of chapter two.

2. 2nounsingular

   An early or first stage of a process; the origins of something.

   Grammar: Usually singular with the: the beginning of a friendship.

   Patterns

   • the beginning of something
   • mark the beginning of

   Their meeting marked the beginning of a long partnership.

   This discovery was the beginning of modern genetics.

   In the beginning, the company had only five employees.

3. 3adjectivebefore a noun

   Just starting to learn or do something; at an early, inexperienced stage.

   Grammar: Only before a noun: a beginning swimmer; the noun sense is far more common.

   Patterns

   • a beginning learner/student
   • beginning level

   The course is designed for beginning students of Spanish.

   A few beginning mistakes are completely normal when you learn to cook.

   The book offers clear guidance for beginning gardeners.

Common combinations

the beginning of something

We're approaching the beginning of a new era.

at the beginning

She made a joke at the beginning of her speech to relax the audience.

from the beginning

He was honest with me from the beginning.

mark the beginning of

The treaty marked the beginning of peaceful relations.

Synonyms and how they differ

start

Start is the everyday word; beginning is slightly more formal and works better in writing.

outset

Outset means the very start of an event or process and is formal; 'from the outset' matches 'from the beginning.'

onset

Onset refers to the start of something unwelcome, like illness or war; beginning is neutral.

origin

Origin refers to where something comes from; beginning refers to when or where it started.

Opposites

Word family

begin verb

To start doing or existing.

beginner noun

A person who is just starting to learn something.

Commonly confused: beginning or beginner?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “beginning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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