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begin upon

C1 formal transitive
In simple words

To start doing or working on something.

Literal meaning: To start upon a thing — to place yourself at the beginning of it.

Meanings

1 C1 formal

To start working on or dealing with a particular task or subject.

"Having gathered all the necessary materials, she was ready to begin upon her research."

Usage notes

Archaic and very rarely used in modern English. In contemporary usage, speakers say 'begin on', 'start on', or 'embark on'. You may encounter it in older literary texts.

Commonly used with

work task project journey study subject

Forms

Base
begin upon
I/you/we/they
3rd person
begins upon
he/she/it
Past simple
began upon
yesterday
Past participle
begun upon
have + pp
-ing form
beginning upon
continuous

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