something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows; "training is a necessary preliminary to employment"; "drinks were the overture to dinner"
a minor match preceding the main event
designed to orient or acquaint with a situation before proceeding; "a preliminary investigation"
act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining; "he congratulated them on their development of a plan to meet the emergency"; "they funded research and development"
(music) the section of a composition or movement (especially in sonata form) where the major musical themes are developed and elaborated
a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation; "recent developments in Iraq"; "what a revolting development!"
a district that has been developed to serve some purpose; "such land is practical for small park developments"
processing a photosensitive material in order to make an image visible; "the development and printing of his pictures took only two hours"
a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage); "the development of his ideas took many years"; "the evolution of Greek civilization"; "the slow development of her skill as a writer"
a state in which things are improving; the result of developing (as in the early part of a game of chess); "after he saw the latest development he changed his mind and became a supporter"; "in chess your should take care of your development before moving your queen"
the act or process of drawing up plans or layouts for some project or enterprise
an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action; "the planning was more fun than the trip itself"
the cognitive process of thinking about what you will do in the event of something happening; "his planning for retirement was hindered by several uncertainties"
Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
set in motion, cause to start; "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life"
begin to speak or say; "Now listen, friends," he began
begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language; "She began Russian at an early age"; "We started French in fourth grade"
achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative; "This economic measure doesn't even begin to deal with the problem of inflation"; "You cannot even begin to understand the problem we had to deal with during the war"
begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object; "begin a cigar"; "She started the soup while it was still hot"; "We started physics in 10th grade"
have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense; "The DMZ begins right over the hill"; "The second movement begins after the Allegro"; "Prices for these homes start at $250,000"
have a beginning characterized in some specified way; "The novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a workout"; "The semester begins with a convocation ceremony"
have a beginning, of a temporal event; "WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland"; "The company's Asia tour begins next month"
be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series; "The number `one' begins the sequence"; "A terrible murder begins the novel"; "The convocation ceremony officially begins the semester"
lowest support of a structure; "it was built on a base of solid rock"; "he stood at the foot of the tower"
education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge; "he lacks the foundation necessary for advanced study"; "a good grounding in mathematics"
an institution supported by an endowment
the basis on which something is grounded; "there is little foundation for his objections"
the act of reconnoitring (especially to gain information about an enemy or potential enemy); "an exchange of fire occurred on a reconnaissance mission"
too small or unimportant to merit attention; "passed his life in an inconsiderable village"; "their duties were inconsiderable"; "had no inconsiderable influence"