Alternatives for Begin

Alternatives is a recurring post in which I give synonyms for an over used word. Click on the tab above for a "complete" list of over used words. 

Depending on how you use it, this list may come in handy for finding another way to say the same thing.


Today's words are:  Begin/began


I can't begin to tell you how much fun I have finding all these synonyms!

accept, accomplish, achieve, acquire, activate, actualize, appear, appropriate, arrogate, arise, attend to

base, be at the bottom of, begin, brainstorm, break ground, break in, break the ice, breed, bring about, bring to pass, burst forth,

carry on, carry out, cause, come out with, come to light, commence, compel, confiscate, constitute, consummate, contribute to, convert, convince, cook, cook up, create, crop up

derive, develop, dispose, do, do a number, do one’s thing, don, dream up, drive,

effect, elicit, emanate, embark on/upon, embrace, emerge, enforce, engender, ensue, enter on/into/upon, erupt, establish, eventuate, evoke, execute, explore

fire up, flow, follow, force, formulate, found, function,

generate, get going, get in there, get things rolling, give birth to, give impulse, give rise to, go about, go ahead, go for broke, go for it, go in for, go into, go that route, go to town

happen, hatch, head,

impel, inaugurate, incite, induce, inflict, initiate, instigate, institute, introduce, intrude, issue,

kick off, kindle, knock off

labor, launch, lay foundation for, lead, lead to, let

make, make active, make progress, make up, maneuver, motivate, mount, move, muster,

occasion, occur, officiate, open, operate, originate,

percolate, perk, perpetrate, persuade, persevere, persist, plunge into, practice, precipitate, prepare, preside, produce, prompt, provoke, pursue

respond, result, result in, revert, rise

secure, seize, serve, set about, set in motion, set up, sow the seeds, spring, sprint up, start, start the ball rolling, stem, sway,

take effect, take on, take over, take part, take steps, take up, think up, transport, trigger,

undertake

work out, work up, wreak

This is a nice rendition by Pete Townsend of "Begin the Beguine," a song written by Cole Porter, one of my all time favorite song writers. I love that it's just Pete and his guitar. .

For a more traditional version, this is Ella Fitzgerald with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, 1940. The dancers are Fred Astraire and Eleanor Powell. They float across the floor, beautiful!