beget

verb

be·​get bi-ˈget 

bē-

begot bi-ˈgät 

bē-

also begat bi-ˈgat 

bē-

; begotten bi-ˈgä-tᵊn 

bē-

or begot; begetting

transitive verb

1

: to procreate as the father : sire

He died without begetting an heir.

2

: to produce especially as an effect or outgrowth

Violence only begets more violence.

begetter noun

Synonyms

• breed
• bring
• bring about
• bring on
• catalyze
• cause
• create
• do
• draw on
• effect
• effectuate
• engender
• generate
• induce
• invoke
• make
• occasion
• produce
• prompt
• result (in)
• spawn
• translate (into)
• work
• yield

Examples of beget in a Sentence

He died without begetting an heir.

one change in the natural environment will beget others

Recent Examples on the Web

Since the recognition by critical stakeholders across the university that relentless losing begets complete irrelevance — and that both are worse than the sacrifices required to win. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025

Monday’s big money Florida Lottery games — Fantasy 5, Cash4Life, Powerball — begat five winners, two of whom came from South Florida. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025

Here’s What Captain America: Brave New World Revealed About Bucky’s Post-Falcon and Winter Soldier Life Netflix’s rollout of street-level, MCU-adjacent heroes also begat two seasons of Marvel’s The Punisher (starring Jon Bernthal), plus the August 2017 team-up miniseries Marvel’s The Defenders. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 19 Feb. 2025

In the West, generative AI may beget even more totalitarian classicism—either of the pre-Mannerist or of the post-Mannerist ilk. —Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English begeten, beyeten, going back to Old English begietan "to get, beget," from be- be- + gietan "to get entry 1"

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for beget

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette
• cadet

Kids Definition

beget

verb

be·​get bi-ˈget 

begot -ˈgät  also begat -ˈgat  ; begotten -ˈgät-ᵊn  or begot; begetting

1

: to become the father of

2

: cause entry 2

begetter noun