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

Today’s college students are thinking about careers long before commencement rolls around. —Christine Y. Cruzvergara, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025

The commencement announcement comes about two months after Texas State University announced plans to award Sheridan an honorary doctorate. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2025

As was the closing ceremony/commencement that took place Sunday morning. —Devonne Goode, Parents, 4 Apr. 2025

The demonstrations came to a head when activists occupied Hamilton Hall, shifting the rest of the semester online and canceling university-wide commencement. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 Mar. 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