commence

verb

com·​mence kə-ˈmen(t)s How to pronounce commence (audio)
commenced; commencing

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
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.
Recent Examples on the Web The city’s Market Misconduct Tribunal commenced proceedings against Left in 2014, and banned him from trading Hong Kong securities in 2016. Kiuyan Wong, Fortune Asia, 26 Mar. 2024 The evening commenced poolside with sips of cocktails and bites of hors d'oeuvres as a local Mariachi band performed. Erin Michelle Newberg, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for commence 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of commence was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near commence

Cite this Entry

“Commence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commence. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

commence

verb
com·​mence kə-ˈmen(t)s How to pronounce commence (audio)
commenced; commencing
: to bring or come into activity, being, or operation : begin, start
commence firing
commencer noun
Etymology

Middle English comencen "to begin," from early French comencer (same meaning), probably from a Latin word cominitiare "to begin," from com- "with, together" and initiare "to begin" — related to initiate

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