Synonyms for begin

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verb

To get under way
start, cause, initiate, inaugurate, commence, occasion, impel, produce, effect, set in motion, launch, mount, start up, start off, start on, start in, take up, induce, create, bring about, get going, set going, set about, institute, lead up to, undertake, enter on, enter upon, embark on, embark upon, set to, set to work, get to, fall to, open, animate, motivate, go into, go ahead, lead the way, give impulse to, bring in, bring on, bring to pass, activate, act on, generate, drive, actualize, eventuate, introduce, originate, found, establish, set up, trigger, spark, give birth to, raise, breed, work, necessitate, take the lead, pioneer, lay the foundation for, break ground, open up, tackle, plunge into, lead off, kick off*, get on the ball, get on the beam*, go to it*, get down to*, get moving*, get cracking*, put one's shoulder to the wheel*, open fire*, fire away*, scratch the surface*, open the door to*, touch a match to*, throw the first stone*, break the ice*, be in on the ground floor*, strike out*, strike up*, tee off*, jump off*, dig in*, get the show on the road*, start the ball rolling*, get the ball rolling, play ball*, dive in*, take the plunge*, get one's feet wet*.
Antonyms end*, finish, terminate.
To come into being
commence, get under way, start, start out, set out, set in, come out, arise, rise, proceed from, result from, enter, dawn, sprout, originate, spring, spring up, crop up, be born, come into the world, come to birth, emanate, come into existence, occur, burst forth, issue forth, come forth, bud, stem from, spring from, come from, derive from, grow out of, flower, blossom, break out, start up, have origin, lead out, take off, see the light of day*, raise its head*, rear its head*.
Antonyms end*, subside, terminate.

begin, the most general of these terms, indicates merely a setting into motion of some action, process, or course to begin eating; commence, a more formal term, is used esp. with reference to a ceremony or an elaborate course of action to commence a court action; start is sometimes interchangeable with begin, but carries the particular implication of leaving a point of departure in any kind of progression to start a journey, the boulder started a landslide; initiate, in this connection, refers to the carrying out of the first steps in some course or process, with no indication of what is to follow to initiate peace talks; inaugurate suggests a formal or ceremonial beginning or opening to inaugurate a new library

See begin in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II

verb

To go about the initial step in doing (something):
approach, commence, embark, enter, get off, inaugurate, initiate, institute, launch, lead off, open, set about, set out, set to, start, take on, take up, undertake. (Informal) kick off. Idioms: get cracking, get going, get the show on the road. See start
To come into being:
arise, commence, originate, start. See start

See begin in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Synonyms

begin commence start initiate inaugurate

These verbs denote coming into being or taking the first step, as in a procedure. Begin, commence, and start are equivalent in meaning, though commence is more formal, and start often stresses the point where inaction turns to action: The play begins at eight o'clock. The festivities commenced with the national anthem. We will stay on the platform until the train starts.
Initiate applies to causing the first steps in a process: I initiated a lawsuit against the driver who hit my car.
Inaugurate often connotes a formal beginning: “The exhibition inaugurated a new era of cultural relations” (Serge Schmemann).

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