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commence

verb
com·​mence | \ kÉ™-ˈmen(t)s How to pronounce commence (audio) \
commenced; commencing

Definition of commence

transitive verb

: to enter upon : begin commence proceedings

intransitive verb

1 : to have or make a beginning : start
2 chiefly British : to take a degree at a university
Other Words from commence Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about commence

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Other Words from commence

commencer noun

Choose the Right Synonym for commence

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation. begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable. begin, opposed to end, is the most general. begin a trip began dancing start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages. the work started slowly commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start. commence firing commenced a conversation initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue. initiated diplomatic contacts inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance. the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate. ushered in a period of economic decline

Examples of commence in a Sentence

Dear God, I thought, I've been infected by an earworm. My friend the Longhair says that's what you call songs that burrow into your head and commence chewing your brains. — Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Apr./1 May 2009 He thereupon commenced giving me this fantastically boring lecture about how the only reason I want a stuffed chicken is because they look so good in a shop window, and that the moment I received one I'd start dreaming up ways to ditch it. — Douglas Coupland, Generation X, 1991 The policy would commence not only with the limiting of permits for the building of hotels and boats but with supervision—through expert architectural advice—of the construction of these boats and hotels … — William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982 "Why shoot, I thought you wanted to be a lawyer, you've already commenced going to court." The ladies laughed again. — Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960 I have commenced two letters to send you before this, both of which displeased me before I got half done, and so I tore them up. — Abraham Lincoln, letter, 4 May 1837 The festivities will commence with a parade. Their contract commences in January. The court commenced criminal proceedings. The country has commenced preparations for war.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Joseph's funeral will commence on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019 at 10:00 at the funeral home. — sun-sentinel.com, "Deaths in South Florida: 9/8," 8 Sep. 2019 However, it was announced last week that the county’s district attorney has commenced an investigation into allegations of harassment and financial improprieties. — John Horgan, The Mercury News, "Horgan: A cosmetics conundrum: a stranger in a strange land," 28 Aug. 2019 Ohio’s largest Hungarian festival will commence at 10:30 a.m. with a flag raising ceremony followed at 11 a.m. with Catholic and Protestant church services in Hungarian. — Shirley Macfarland, cleveland.com, "Start your Labor Day weekend with chicken parprikas, stuffed cabbage and strudel: Talk of the Towns," 16 Aug. 2019 Full operations at Echo Lake near Tahoe, Caples Lake near Carson Pass, and a dozen campgrounds in the Lakes Basin Recreation Area also will commence this weekend. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Snow thaw means Sierra campgrounds finally opening for summer," 20 June 2019 Festivities will commence each evening at 8 p.m. at the South Rim Visitor Center. — Nneka Okona, National Geographic, "The Grand Canyon is now a Dark Sky Park—here’s why that matters," 20 June 2019 Demolition will commence once the asbestos and other hazardous materials have been removed. — Tyra Mcclung, courant.com, "Simsbury’s Old Drake Hill Flower Bridge will be closed this season as construction begins on a new park," 13 June 2019 As DeWolfe’s new criminal case wended its way through court, State Police commenced an internal investigation into Hanafin’s and Benevento’s actions. — Shelley Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, "‘The fact that she could have been stopped that morning is heartbreaking’," 29 Apr. 2018 The service is expected to commence next month and will run underneath Kolkata’s Hooghly river, Indian railway minister Piyush Goyal announced on Twitter on Aug. 8. — Sangeeta Tanwar, Quartz India, "As India readies an underwater line, here’s a look at its various metro networks," 12 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of commence

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

History and Etymology for commence

Middle English comencen, from Anglo-French comencer, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiare, from Latin com- + Late Latin initiare to begin, from Latin, to initiate

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More Definitions for commence

commence

verb
How to pronounce commence (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of commence

formal : to begin

See the full definition for commence in the English Language Learners Dictionary

commence

verb
com·​mence | \ kÉ™-ˈmens How to pronounce commence (audio) \
commenced; commencing

Kids Definition of commence

: begin sense 1, start

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More from Merriam-Webster on commence

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with commence

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for commence

Spanish Central: Translation of commence

Nglish:

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