transitive verbtransitive verb begets, transitive verb begetting, begot/bəˈɡät/ /bəˈɡɑt/ , begat/bəˈɡat/ /bəˈɡæt/ , begotten/bəˈɡätn/ /bəˈɡɑtn/

• 1(typically of a man, sometimes of a man and a woman) bring (a child) into existence by the process of reproduction.

  ‘they hoped that the King might beget an heir by his new queen’

  More example sentences

  • ‘All children are from the same mother, as our stepmother did not beget any children by my father.’
  • ‘Apart from other things, she too begets children by someone other than her husband.’
  • ‘A man marries in order to establish a household and beget children.’
  • ‘Any child begotten by Ian or myself would certainly never be recognized… even though I don't think I could have turned away a child of my blood.’
  • ‘They begot seven children.’

  Synonyms

  father, sire, engender, generate, spawn, create, give life to, bring into being, bring into the world, have

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• 2Give rise to; bring about.

  ‘success begets further success’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Success begets success and you start to believe that you can climb the mountain.’
  • ‘And the cycle of violence begets more violence.’
  • ‘Acts of cruelty in this life beget suffering in the next.’
  • ‘It has been a case of policy errors begetting more dangerous mistakes.’
  • ‘Violence begets more violence, which begets even more violence.’

  Synonyms

  cause, give rise to, lead to, result in, bring about, create, produce, generate, engender, spawn, occasion, effect, bring to pass, bring on, precipitate, prompt, provoke, kindle, trigger, spark off, touch off, stir up, whip up, induce, inspire, promote, foster

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