commencement

noun

kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt How to pronounce commencement (audio)
Definition of commencementnext
as in beginning
the point at which something begins there was a large turnout at the commencement of the conference, but the numbers dwindled as it progressed

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of commencement Compton-Rock shared a sweet Instagram post from her daughter’s commencement ceremony at the University of Southern California on Monday, May 18. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026 Graduates leave Gas South Arena during Emory University's commencement ceremony in 2024. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Graduates at the University of Arizona and University of Central Florida booed mentions of AI during commencement speeches last spring. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 With the acclaim came the awards, the invitations to give commencement speeches, the honorary degrees, the chance to perform before thousands of fans at big-time sports events. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commencement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencement
  1. beginning
  2. start
  3. inception
  4. onset
  5. launch
Noun
  • Clocks are advanced ahead one hour at the beginning of daylight saving time, in March, and clocks are moved back one hour in November when returning to standard time.
    — Hannah Poukish, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The married owners—Ingrid Rivas, an agronomist, and Radamés Arroyo, an engineer—first began developing the 25-acre property by cultivating Tahiti limes, and the name Hacienda Verde Tahití later became a tribute to those agricultural beginnings.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of beginning
Noun
  • The anticipated early 2028 production start will mark the next stage of the company’s investment in Colorado.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The Heat also stuck with essentially the same bench rotation (but with a twist) despite its rough start to the season.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of start
Noun
  • This happened despite the fact that calculations of orbital forcings, together with modeling of how carbon dioxide interferes with glacial inception, have suggested the next ice age was postponed by tens of thousands of years.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Oct. 2026
  • That’s a wild thing to imagine, since the iPhone has had very few fundamental changes since its inception.
    — Allison Johnson, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of inception
Noun
  • There had been a temporary improvement but the onset of the Iran war has plunged the country back into crisis.
    — Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Much of these are solvable problems, if the right people are engaged to ensure that the community is involved from the onset.
    — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of onset
Noun
  • Each ship comes with 16 missile launch cells, a Lockheed Martin SPY-7 radar, an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter, and other cutting-edge missile defense capabilities.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • This was the 36th launch and landing for B1063, which notably launched NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission in November 2021.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of launch

Browse Nearby Words

commenced
commencement
commencements
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Cite this Entry

“Commencement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencement. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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