- a past tense and past participle of beget
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
be•got
(bi got′),USA pronunciation v.
- pt. and a pp. of beget.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
begot /bɪˈɡɒt/ vb
be•get /bɪˈgɛt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -got, -got•ten or -got, -get•ting.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- (esp. of a male) to become the father of (offspring);
procreate:In the Bible, Isaac begat Jacob. - to cause;
produce as an effect:Power begets power.
be•get
(bi get′),USA pronunciation v.t., be•got or (Archaic) be•gat;
be•got•ten or be•got;
be•get•ting.
be•get′ter, n.
be•got•ten or be•got;
be•get•ting.
- (esp. of a male parent) to procreate or generate (offspring).
- to cause;
produce as an effect:a belief that power begets power.
- bef. 1000; Middle English begeten (see be-, get); replacing Middle English biyeten, Old English begetan; cognate with Gothic bigitan, Old High German bigezzan
- 1. spawn, sire, breed, father. 2. occasion, engender, effect, generate.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
beget /bɪˈɡɛt/ vb ( -gets, -getting, -got, -gat, -gotten, -got) (transitive)
- to father
- to cause or create
'begot' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):