| begin | | |
| n. (person) | 1. begin, menachem begin | Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992). |
| ~ national leader, solon, statesman | a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs. |
| v. (change) | 2. begin, commence, get, get down, set about, set out, start, start out | take the first step or steps in carrying out an action.; "We began working at dawn"; "Who will start?"; "Get working as soon as the sun rises!"; "The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia"; "He began early in the day"; "Let's get down to work now" |
| ~ recommence | begin again.; "we recommenced his reading after a short nap" |
| ~ strike out | set out on a course of action.; "He struck out on his own" |
| ~ fall | begin vigorously.; "The prisoners fell to work right away" |
| ~ jump off | set off quickly, usually with success.; "The freshman jumped off to a good start in his math class" |
| ~ get to | arrive at the point of.; "She gets to fretting if I stay away from home too long" |
| ~ auspicate | commence in a manner calculated to bring good luck.; "They auspicated the trip with a bottle of champagne" |
| ~ attack | set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task.; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed" |
| ~ break in | start in a certain activity, enterprise, or role. |
| ~ launch, plunge | begin with vigor.; "He launched into a long diatribe"; "She plunged into a dangerous adventure" |
| ~ come on | occur or become available.; "water or electricity came on again after the earthquake" |
| ~ embark, enter | set out on (an enterprise or subject of study).; "she embarked upon a new career" |
| ~ bestir oneself, get cracking, get moving, get rolling, get started, get weaving, get going | start to be active.; "Get cracking, please!" |
| ~ begin | begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language.; "She began Russian at an early age"; "We started French in fourth grade" |
| v. (stative) | 3. begin, start | have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense.; "The DMZ begins right over the hill"; "The second movement begins after the Allegro"; "Prices for these homes start at $250,000" |
| ~ break out, erupt | start abruptly.; "After 1989, peace broke out in the former East Bloc" |
| ~ bud | start to grow or develop.; "a budding friendship" |
| ~ break out | begin suddenly and sometimes violently.; "He broke out shouting" |
| ~ begin, start | have a beginning characterized in some specified way.; "The novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a workout"; "The semester begins with a convocation ceremony" |
| ~ begin | have a beginning, of a temporal event.; "WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland"; "The company's Asia tour begins next month" |
| ~ kick in, set in | enter a particular state.; "Laziness set in"; "After a few moments, the effects of the drug kicked in" |
| ~ dawn | appear or develop.; "The age of computers had dawned" |
| ~ originate | begin a trip at a certain point, as of a plane, train, bus, etc..; "The flight originates in Calcutta" |
| v. (change) | 4. begin, commence, lead off, start | set in motion, cause to start.; "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life" |
| ~ jump-start, jumpstart | start or re-start vigorously.; "The Secretary of State intends to jumpstart the Middle East Peace Process" |
| ~ recommence | cause to start anew.; "The enemy recommenced hostilities after a few days of quiet" |
| ~ usher in, inaugurate, introduce | be a precursor of.; "The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in the post-Cold War period" |
| ~ set off | set in motion or cause to begin.; "The guide set the tour off to a good start" |
| ~ embark on, start up, commence, start | get off the ground.; "Who started this company?"; "We embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack" |
| ~ begin, start | have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense.; "The DMZ begins right over the hill"; "The second movement begins after the Allegro"; "Prices for these homes start at $250,000" |
| ~ begin | have a beginning, of a temporal event.; "WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland"; "The company's Asia tour begins next month" |
| v. (communication) | 5. begin | begin to speak or say.; "Now listen, friends," |
| ~ mouth, speak, talk, verbalise, verbalize, utter | express in speech.; "She talks a lot of nonsense"; "This depressed patient does not verbalize" |
| v. (stative) | 6. begin | be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series.; "The number `one' begins the sequence"; "A terrible murder begins the novel"; "The convocation ceremony officially begins the semester" |
| ~ begin, start | have a beginning characterized in some specified way.; "The novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a workout"; "The semester begins with a convocation ceremony" |
| v. (stative) | 7. begin | have a beginning, of a temporal event.; "WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland"; "The company's Asia tour begins next month" |
| ~ commence, lead off, start, begin | set in motion, cause to start.; "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life" |
| ~ be | have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun).; "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" |
| ~ begin, start | have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense.; "The DMZ begins right over the hill"; "The second movement begins after the Allegro"; "Prices for these homes start at $250,000" |
| v. (stative) | 8. begin, start | have a beginning characterized in some specified way.; "The novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a workout"; "The semester begins with a convocation ceremony" |
| ~ begin, start | begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object.; "begin a cigar"; "She started the soup while it was still hot"; "We started physics in 10th grade" |
| ~ be | have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun).; "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" |
| ~ begin, start | have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense.; "The DMZ begins right over the hill"; "The second movement begins after the Allegro"; "Prices for these homes start at $250,000" |
| ~ begin | be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series.; "The number `one' begins the sequence"; "A terrible murder begins the novel"; "The convocation ceremony officially begins the semester" |
| v. (social) | 9. begin, start | begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object.; "begin a cigar"; "She started the soup while it was still hot"; "We started physics in 10th grade" |
| ~ act, move | perform an action, or work out or perform (an action).; "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel" |
| ~ begin, start | have a beginning characterized in some specified way.; "The novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a workout"; "The semester begins with a convocation ceremony" |
| v. (social) | 10. begin | achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative.; "This economic measure doesn't even begin to deal with the problem of inflation"; "You cannot even begin to understand the problem we had to deal with during the war" |
| ~ achieve, attain, accomplish, reach | to gain with effort.; "she achieved her goal despite setbacks" |
| v. (communication) | 11. begin | begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language.; "She began Russian at an early age"; "We started French in fourth grade" |
| ~ begin, commence, set out, start, start out, set about, get down, get | take the first step or steps in carrying out an action.; "We began working at dawn"; "Who will start?"; "Get working as soon as the sun rises!"; "The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia"; "He began early in the day"; "Let's get down to work now" |
| start | | |
| n. (event) | 1. start | the beginning of anything.; "it was off to a good start" |
| ~ beginning | the event consisting of the start of something.; "the beginning of the war" |
| ~ adrenarche | the increase in activity of the adrenal glands just before puberty. |
| ~ menarche | the first occurrence of menstruation in a woman. |
| ~ thelarche | the start of breast development in a woman at the beginning of puberty. |
| ~ oncoming, onset | the beginning or early stages.; "the onset of pneumonia" |
| ~ dawn, morning | the earliest period.; "the dawn of civilization"; "the morning of the world" |
| ~ flying start, running start | a quick and auspicious beginning. |
| ~ opener | the first event in a series.; "she played Chopin for her opener"; "the season's opener was a game against the Yankees" |
| ~ alpha | the beginning of a series or sequence.; "the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" |
| ~ curtain raising, opening night, opening | the first performance (as of a theatrical production).; "the opening received good critical reviews" |
| ~ start-off, send-off, kickoff | a start given to contestants.; "I was there with my parents at the kickoff" |
| ~ racing start | the start of a race. |
| n. (time) | 2. beginning, commencement, first, get-go, kickoff, offset, outset, showtime, start, starting time | the time at which something is supposed to begin.; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her" |
| ~ birth | the time when something begins (especially life).; "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age" |
| ~ incipience, incipiency | beginning to exist or to be apparent.; "he placed the incipience of democratic faith at around 1850"; "it is designed to arrest monopolies in their incipiency" |
| ~ point in time, point | an instant of time.; "at that point I had to leave" |
| ~ starting point, terminus a quo | earliest limiting point. |
| ~ threshold | the starting point for a new state or experience.; "on the threshold of manhood" |
| n. (act) | 3. start, starting | a turn to be a starter (in a game at the beginning).; "he got his start because one of the regular pitchers was in the hospital"; "his starting meant that the coach thought he was one of their best linemen" |
| ~ turn, play | (game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession.; "it is my turn"; "it is still my play" |
| n. (act) | 4. jump, start, startle | a sudden involuntary movement.; "he awoke with a start" |
| ~ inborn reflex, innate reflex, instinctive reflex, physiological reaction, reflex, reflex action, reflex response, unconditioned reflex | an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus. |
| ~ startle reaction, startle response | a complicated involuntary reaction to a sudden unexpected stimulus (especially a loud noise); involves flexion of most skeletal muscles and a variety of visceral reactions. |
| ~ moro reflex, startle reflex | a normal reflex of young infants; a sudden loud noise causes the child to stretch out the arms and flex the legs. |
| ~ flinch, wince | a reflex response to sudden pain. |
| n. (act) | 5. beginning, commencement, start | the act of starting something.; "he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations" |
| ~ change of state | the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics. |
| ~ jumping-off point, point of departure, springboard | a beginning from which an enterprise is launched.; "he uses other people's ideas as a springboard for his own"; "reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions"; "the point of departure of international comparison cannot be an institution but must be the function it carries out" |
| ~ activation | making active and effective (as a bomb). |
| ~ tone-beginning, attack | a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase. |
| ~ establishment, constitution, formation, organisation, organization | the act of forming or establishing something.; "the constitution of a PTA group last year"; "it was the establishment of his reputation"; "he still remembers the organization of the club" |
| ~ creation | (theology) God's act of bringing the universe into existence. |
| ~ debut, first appearance, introduction, entry, launching, unveiling | the act of beginning something new.; "they looked forward to the debut of their new product line" |
| ~ face-off | (ice hockey) the method of starting play; a referee drops the puck between two opposing players. |
| ~ first step, opening move, initiative, opening | the first of a series of actions. |
| ~ groundbreaking, groundbreaking ceremony | the ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin a construction project. |
| ~ housing start | the act of starting to construct a house. |
| ~ icebreaker | a beginning that relaxes a tense or formal atmosphere.; "he told jokes as an icebreaker" |
| ~ inauguration, startup | the act of starting a new operation or practice.; "he opposed the inauguration of fluoridation"; "the startup of the new factory was delayed by strikes" |
| ~ founding, instauration, initiation, origination, innovation, creation, institution, foundation, introduction | the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new.; "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society" |
| ~ installation, installing, instalment, installment | the act of installing something (as equipment).; "the telephone installation took only a few minutes" |
| ~ jump ball | (basketball) the way play begins or resumes when possession is disputed; an official tosses the ball up between two players who jump in an effort to tap it to a teammate. |
| ~ kickoff | (football) a kick from the center of the field to start a football game or to resume it after a score. |
| ~ recommencement, resumption | beginning again. |
| ~ scrum, scrummage | (rugby) the method of beginning play in which the forwards of each team crouch side by side with locked arms; play starts when the ball is thrown in between them and the two sides compete for possession. |
| ~ startup | the act of setting in operation.; "repeated shutdowns and startups are expensive" |
| n. (location) | 6. scratch, scratch line, start, starting line | a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game. |
| ~ line | in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area. |
| n. (communication) | 7. start, starting signal | a signal to begin (as in a race).; "the starting signal was a green light"; "the runners awaited the start" |
| ~ signal, signaling, sign | any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message.; "signals from the boat suddenly stopped" |
| n. (attribute) | 8. head start, start | the advantage gained by beginning early (as in a race).; "with an hour's start he will be hard to catch" |
| ~ advantage, vantage | the quality of having a superior or more favorable position.; "the experience gave him the advantage over me" |
| v. (motion) | 9. depart, part, set forth, set off, set out, start, start out, take off | leave.; "The family took off for Florida" |
| ~ go forth, leave, go away | go away from a place.; "At what time does your train leave?"; "She didn't leave until midnight"; "The ship leaves at midnight" |
| ~ lift off, take off | depart from the ground.; "The plane took off two hours late" |
| ~ roar off | leave.; "The car roared off into the fog" |
| ~ blaze out, blaze | move rapidly and as if blazing.; "The spaceship blazed out into space" |
| ~ sally forth, sally out | set out in a sudden, energetic or violent manner. |
| v. (creation) | 10. initiate, originate, start | bring into being.; "He initiated a new program"; "Start a foundation" |
| ~ lead up, initiate | set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for.; "Hitler's attack on Poland led up to World War II" |
| ~ create, make | make or cause to be or to become.; "make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor" |
| ~ set | apply or start.; "set fire to a building" |
| ~ date back, date from, go back | belong to an earlier time.; "This story dates back 200 years" |
| v. (creation) | 11. commence, embark on, start, start up | get off the ground.; "Who started this company?"; "We embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack" |
| ~ commence, lead off, start, begin | set in motion, cause to start.; "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life" |
| ~ inaugurate, kick off | commence officially. |
| ~ open | begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc..; "He opened the meeting with a long speech" |
| v. (motion) | 12. jump, start, startle | move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm.; "She startled when I walked into the room" |
| ~ move | move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion.; "He moved his hand slightly to the right" |
| ~ shy | start suddenly, as from fright. |
| ~ boggle | startle with amazement or fear. |
| ~ rear back | start with anger or resentment or in protest. |
| ~ jackrabbit | go forward or start with a fast, sudden movement. |
| v. (motion) | 13. start, start up | get going or set in motion.; "We simply could not start the engine"; "start up the computer" |
| ~ kick-start | start (a motorcycle) by means of a kick starter. |
| ~ hot-wire | start (a car engine) without a key by bypassing the ignition interlock.; "The woman who lost the car keys had to hot-wire her van" |
| ~ re-start, restart | start an engine again, for example. |
| ~ crank up, crank | start by cranking.; "crank up the engine" |
| ~ jump-start, jumpstart, jump | start (a car engine whose battery is dead) by connecting it to another car's battery. |
| ~ get going, start, go | begin or set in motion.; "I start at eight in the morning"; "Ready, set, go!" |
| v. (motion) | 14. get going, go, start | begin or set in motion.; "I start at eight in the morning"; "Ready, set, go!" |
| ~ come on, go on, come up | start running, functioning, or operating.; "the lights went on"; "the computer came up" |
| ~ get off the ground, take off | get started or set in motion, used figuratively.; "the project took a long time to get off the ground" |
| v. (social) | 15. start, take up | begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job.; "Take up a position"; "start a new job" |
| ~ take office | assume an office, duty, or title.; "When will the new President take office?" |
| v. (competition) | 16. start | play in the starting lineup. |
| ~ athletics, sport | an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition. |
| ~ play | participate in games or sport.; "We played hockey all afternoon"; "play cards"; "Pele played for the Brazilian teams in many important matches" |
| v. (motion) | 17. bug out, bulge, bulge out, come out, pop, pop out, protrude, start | bulge outward.; "His eyes popped" |
| ~ change form, change shape, deform | assume a different shape or form. |
| begin | | |
| commence | | |
| embark | | |
| v. (motion) | 1. embark, ship | go on board. |
| ~ board, get on | get on board of (trains, buses, ships, aircraft, etc.). |
| ~ emplane, enplane | board a plane. |
| v. (change) | 2. embark, enter | set out on (an enterprise or subject of study).; "she embarked upon a new career" |
| ~ begin, commence, set out, start, start out, set about, get down, get | take the first step or steps in carrying out an action.; "We began working at dawn"; "Who will start?"; "Get working as soon as the sun rises!"; "The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia"; "He began early in the day"; "Let's get down to work now" |
| ~ take up | pursue or resume.; "take up a matter for consideration" |
| v. (social) | 3. embark, venture | proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers.; "We ventured into the world of high-tech and bought a supercomputer" |
| ~ go, proceed, move | follow a procedure or take a course.; "We should go farther in this matter"; "She went through a lot of trouble"; "go about the world in a certain manner"; "Messages must go through diplomatic channels" |
| initiate | | |
| n. (person) | 1. beginner, initiate, novice, tiro, tyro | someone new to a field or activity. |
| ~ unskilled person | a person who lacks technical training. |
| ~ abecedarian | a novice learning the rudiments of some subject. |
| ~ apprentice, prentice, learner | works for an expert to learn a trade. |
| ~ cub, greenhorn, rookie | an awkward and inexperienced youth. |
| ~ landlubber, landsman, lubber | an inexperienced sailor; a sailor on the first voyage. |
| ~ fledgeling, fledgling, newbie, newcomer, entrant, freshman, neophyte, starter | any new participant in some activity. |
| ~ tenderfoot | an inexperienced person (especially someone inexperienced in outdoor living). |
| ~ trainee | someone who is being trained. |
| n. (person) | 2. initiate, learned person, pundit, savant | someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field. |
| ~ polymath | a person of great and varied learning. |
| ~ bookman, scholar, scholarly person, student | a learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines. |
| n. (group) | 3. enlightened, initiate | people who have been introduced to the mysteries of some field or activity.; "it is very familiar to the initiate" |
| ~ people | (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively.; "old people"; "there were at least 200 people in the audience" |
| v. (creation) | 4. initiate, pioneer | take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of.; "This South African surgeon pioneered heart transplants" |
| ~ strike up | begin.; "strike up a conversation"; "strike up a friendship" |
| ~ innovate, introduce | bring something new to an environment.; "A new word processor was introduced" |
| ~ activate, actuate, set off, spark, spark off, touch off, trigger, trigger off, trip | put in motion or move to act.; "trigger a reaction"; "actuate the circuits" |
| ~ cause, do, make | give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally.; "cause a commotion"; "make a stir"; "cause an accident" |
| ~ institute, establish, found, plant, constitute | set up or lay the groundwork for.; "establish a new department" |
| ~ stage, arrange | plan, organize, and carry out (an event).; "the neighboring tribe staged an invasion" |
| ~ mount | put up or launch.; "mount a campaign against pornography" |
| ~ undertake, attempt, set about | enter upon an activity or enterprise. |
| ~ machinate, devise, prepare, organise, organize, get up | arrange by systematic planning and united effort.; "machinate a plot"; "organize a strike"; "devise a plan to take over the director's office" |
| v. (social) | 5. induct, initiate | accept people into an exclusive society or group, usually with some rite.; "African men are initiated when they reach puberty" |
| ~ let in, admit, include | allow participation in or the right to be part of; permit to exercise the rights, functions, and responsibilities of.; "admit someone to the profession"; "She was admitted to the New Jersey Bar" |
| v. (communication) | 6. broach, initiate | bring up a topic for discussion. |
| ~ hash out, talk over, discuss | speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion.; "We discussed our household budget" |
| ~ deal, plow, handle, treat, cover, address | act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression.; "This book deals with incest"; "The course covered all of Western Civilization"; "The new book treats the history of China" |
| v. (change) | 7. initiate, lead up | set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for.; "Hitler's attack on Poland led up to World War II" |
| ~ initiate, originate, start | bring into being.; "He initiated a new program"; "Start a foundation" |
| start | | |
| undertake | | |
| v. (creation) | 1. attempt, set about, undertake | enter upon an activity or enterprise. |
| ~ initiate, pioneer | take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of.; "This South African surgeon pioneered heart transplants" |
| v. (social) | 2. tackle, take on, undertake | accept as a challenge.; "I'll tackle this difficult task" |
| ~ face, face up, confront | deal with (something unpleasant) head on.; "You must confront your problems"; "He faced the terrible consequences of his mistakes" |
| ~ rise | exert oneself to meet a challenge.; "rise to a challenge"; "rise to the occasion" |
| v. (communication) | 3. guarantee, undertake | promise to do or accomplish.; "guarantee to free the prisoners" |
| ~ promise, assure | make a promise or commitment. |
| ~ subvent, subvention, underwrite | guarantee financial support of.; "The opera tour was subvented by a bank" |
| v. (communication) | 4. contract, undertake | enter into a contractual arrangement. |
| ~ promise, assure | make a promise or commitment. |
| ~ stipulate | make an oral contract or agreement in the verbal form of question and answer that is necessary to give it legal force. |
| ~ sign | be engaged by a written agreement.; "He signed to play the casino on Dec. 18"; "The soprano signed to sing the new opera" |
| ~ specify, stipulate, condition, qualify | specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement.; "The will stipulates that she can live in the house for the rest of her life"; "The contract stipulates the dates of the payments" |
| ~ lease, rent | let for money.; "We rented our apartment to friends while we were abroad" |
| ~ charter, hire, lease, rent | hold under a lease or rental agreement; of goods and services. |
| v. (social) | 5. take in charge, undertake | accept as a charge. |
| ~ consent, go for, accept | give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to.; "I cannot accept your invitation"; "I go for this resolution" |
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