How to Use commencement in a Sentence

commencement

noun
  • A poet will speak at the commencement.
  • Kristi Noem gave the commencement speech last year.
    — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 20 May 2026
  • And at the end of her four years she was invited to give the commencement speech.
    — Johanna Mayer, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2023
  • For some, commencement was a time for reunions after more than a year apart.
    — Rebecca Lurye, courant.com, 8 May 2021
  • On commencement day, Massey was the last of his classmates to put on his cap and gown.
    — Aaron Morrison, BostonGlobe.com, 3 July 2023
  • Gold prices have risen by nearly a third this year, hitting new heights with the commencement of a trade war.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2025
  • That’s the structure and message of a commencement speech.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
  • Wallace gave a commencement speech for the ages, but homily was not his métier.
    — Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
  • Every walk in life gets to offer its lessons in commencement season.
    — Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 23 May 2026
  • The students who walked out at Stanford’s commencement knew all of this.
    — Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • The Olympics will need a new chief before commencement this summer.
    — Jake Dima, Washington Examiner, 12 Feb. 2021
  • James Jackson, one of the four, savored his first commencement.
    — Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 18 May 2022
  • That recording is then used by broadcast voice actors to create a sound bite for the commencement.
    — Kendall Staton The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
  • Center Grove was one of the area high schools that postponed its commencement to have it in-person.
    — Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Apr. 2021
  • But most schools award degrees during commencements held in May or June.
    — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Dec. 2023
  • At the end of the semester, the school asked him to be the speaker at its student athlete commencement.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
  • Tran was in the class of 2020, so her spring commencement was virtual.
    — Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 2 July 2024
  • With fewer breaks, the school plans to wrap up about a week early, with commencement on May 20.
    — Charles Lussier, NOLA.com, 23 Oct. 2020
  • This century has seen an arms race in commencement-address celebrity.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026
  • So when she was called to the stage to be recognized at the commencement ceremony, her mind again went to her peers.
    — Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2026
  • This is not the first time UK has gone a calendar year with no in-person commencement.
    — Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, 27 Oct. 2020
  • This marks the commencement of an exciting new chapter, one that Al has poured his heart and soul into.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 1 Aug. 2024
  • There were some who criticized me for making an announcement like that at commencement.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2026
  • But Bloomberg wasn't the only commencement speaker to speak of a culture of untruths this week.
    — CBS News, 12 May 2018
  • If Smith were asked to deliver the commencement address, the message would be straight from the heart.
    — Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Furthermore, the sale of your business will not be the commencement of your retirement.
    — Rich Gunn, Forbes, 5 July 2022
  • The booing at commencement wasn’t only about AI.
    — Ann Kirschner, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • The following week the school moved online for the rest of the spring semester, and commencement was postponed.
    — Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2021
  • Should there be inclement weather on June 4, commencement will take place on June 5.
    — John Delapp, Houston Chronicle, 21 May 2020
  • The school will issue housing and meal credits and plans to make a decision about commencement by the end of March.
    — USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2020

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

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