1. To cause something to arise as a result, often as part of a continuing pattern.
2. To become the father of a child through biological reproduction.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- beget resentment
- beget further conflict
- success begets confidence
On the page
Secrecy begets suspicion, and suspicion makes cooperation harder.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- beget
- Past tense
- begot or begat
- Past participle
- begotten or begot
- Present participle
- begetting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- beget
- Present continuous
- am/is/are begetting
- Present perfect
- have/has begotten or begot
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been begetting
- Past
- begot or begat
- Past continuous
- was/were begetting
- Past perfect
- had begotten or begot
- Past perfect continuous
- had been begetting
- Future
- will beget
- Future continuous
- will be begetting
- Future perfect
- will have begotten or begot
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been begetting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated prose. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: beget; begets; begot or begat; begotten or begot; begetting Commonness: moderately common (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: MW verifies causal production and biological fatherhood, with begot/begat and begotten/begot; related ordinary forms guarded. Writing functions: precise action, characterization. Third-person singular: begets.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.