2 N‑PLURAL The beginnings of something are the signs or events which form the first part of it. □ The discussions were the beginnings of a dialogue with Moscow.
3 N‑SING The beginning of a period of time is the time at which it starts. □ The wedding will be at the beginning of March.
4 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The beginning of a piece of written material is the first words or sentences of it. □ [+ of ] …the question which was raised at the beginning of this chapter.
5 N‑PLURAL If you talk about the beginnings of a person, company, or group, you are referring to their backgrounds or origins. □ His views come from his own humble beginnings. SYNONYMS beginning NOUN 1
start: …1918, four years after the start of the Great War.
opening: The opening of the scene depicts Akhnaten and his family in a moment of intimacy.
outset: Decide at the outset what kind of learning programme you want to follow.
onset: With the onset of war, oil prices climbed past $30 a barrel.
be|gonia /b I goʊ niə/ (begonias ) N‑COUNT A begonia is a garden plant which has large brightly coloured leaves.
be|got /b I gɒ t/ Begot is the past tense of beget .
be|got|ten /b I gɒ t ə n/ Begotten is the past participle of beget .
be|grudge /b I grʌ dʒ/ (begrudges , begrudging , begrudged )
1 VERB If you do not begrudge someone something, you do not feel angry, upset, or jealous that they have got it. □ [V n n] I certainly don't begrudge him the Nobel Prize.
2 VERB If you do not begrudge something such as time or money, you do not mind giving it up. □ [V n] I do not begrudge the money I have lost.
be|grudg|ing|ly /b I grʌ dʒ I ŋli/ ADV [ADV with v] If you do something begrudgingly , you do it unwillingly. □ He agreed to her suggestion begrudgingly.
be|guile /b I ga I l/ (beguiles , beguiling , beguiled )
1 VERB If something beguiles you, you are charmed and attracted by it. □ [be V -ed] We are beguiled by the country's beauty and its magnificent cultural past.
2 VERB If someone beguiles you into doing something, they trick you into doing it. □ [V n + into ] He used his newspapers to beguile the readers into buying shares in his company.
be|guil|ing /b I ga I l I ŋ/ ADJ Something that is beguiling is charming and attractive. [WRITTEN ] □ Mombasa is a town with a beguiling Arabic flavour. ● be|guil|ing|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] □ He was beguilingly boyish and attractive.
be|gun /b I gʌ n/ Begun is the past participle of begin .
be|half ◆◇◇ /b I hɑː f, -hæ f/
1 PHRASE If you do something on someone's behalf , you do it for that person as their representative. The form in someone's behalf is also used, mainly in American English. □ She made an emotional public appeal on her son's behalf. □ Secret Service officer Robin Thompson spoke on behalf of his colleagues.
2 PHRASE If you feel, for example, embarrassed or angry on someone's behalf , you feel embarrassed or angry for them. □ 'What do you mean?' I asked, offended on Liddie's behalf.
be|have ◆◇◇ /b I he I v/ (behaves , behaving , behaved )
1 VERB The way that you behave is the way that you do and say things, and the things that you do and say. □ [V prep/adv] I couldn't believe these people were behaving in this way. □ [V prep/adv] He'd behaved badly.
2 VERB If you behave or behave yourself , you act in the way that people think is correct and proper. □ [V ] You have to behave. □ [V pron-refl] They were expected to behave themselves.
3 VERB In science, the way that something behaves is the things that it does. □ [V prep/adv] Under certain conditions, electrons can behave like waves rather than particles. SYNONYMS behave VERB 1
act: He acted as if he hadn't heard any of it.
react: 'How did he react?'—'Very calmly.'
conduct yourself: The way he conducts himself reflects on the party.
acquit yourself: Most officers and men acquitted themselves well throughout the action.
go about: He went about looking ill and unhappy.
-behaved /-b I he I vd/ COMB -behaved combines with adverbs such as 'well' or 'badly' to form adjectives that describe people's or animals' behaviour. □ The children are well-behaved and keen to learn.
be|hav|iour ◆◆◇ /b I he I vjə r / (behaviours ) in AM, use behavior 1 N‑VAR People's or animals' behaviour is the way that they behave. You can refer to a typical and repeated way of behaving as a behaviour . □ Make sure that good behaviour is rewarded. □ …human sexual behaviour. □ These eating patterns are a learned behavior.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [with poss] In science, the behaviour of something is the way that it behaves. □ It will be many years before anyone can predict a hurricane's behavior with much accuracy.
3 PHRASE If someone is on their best behaviour , they are trying very hard to behave well. COLLOCATIONS behaviour NOUN
1
adjective + behaviour : criminal, human, sexual; aggressive, antisocial, inappropriate, unacceptable