Origin: Germanic Old English prefix
Definition, synonyms and related words
simple past tense of begin
"The rain began to fall as we walked out the door."
In plain English: Began is the past tense of begin, meaning something started happening at a specific time in the past.
"She began to cry when she heard the sad news."
Usage: Use "began" only as the simple past tense of "begin" to describe an action that started at a specific time in the past. Do not use it for present or future events, and avoid confusing it with "begun," which requires a helping verb like "have."
Began is the past tense of begin, originating from Old English beginnan which meant to start or commence an action. It shares its root with Germanic words like Middle High German beginnen.