commencement

noun

com·​mence·​ment kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt 

1

: an act, instance, or time of commencing

They awaited the commencement of the trial.

2

a

: the ceremonies or the day for conferring degrees or diplomas

A Nobel Prize winner will speak at the commencement.

b

: the period of activities at this time

Commencement will kick off with a family reception followed by a banquet.

Synonyms

• alpha
• baseline
• beginning
• birth
• dawn
• day one
• genesis
• get-go
• git-go
• inception
• incipience
• incipiency
• kickoff
• launch
• morning
• nascence
• nascency
• onset
• outset
• start
• threshold

Examples of commencement in a Sentence

A poet will speak at the commencement.

there was a large turnout at the commencement of the conference, but the numbers dwindled as it progressed

Recent Examples on the Web

Interim Dean Chon Noriega will preside over the event to be held during UCLA’s commencement weekend. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 May 2025

Bentley University's commencement is set to take place on Friday. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 13 May 2025

Sheridan’s first stop was in San Marcos on May 8 for Texas State University’s spring commencement, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 May 2025

But one of the most unforgettable moments of the day came from the commencement orator himself — Emmy, Grammy, NAACP Image and Peabody Award-winning actor and literacy advocate, LeVar Burton. —Oumou Fofana, Essence, 12 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

see commence

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

commencement

noun

com·​mence·​ment kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt 

1

: an act, instance, or time of commencing

2

: the ceremonies or the day for presenting degrees or diplomas to graduates of a school or college