commencement

noun

com·mence·ment | \ kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt

Definition of commencement

1 : an act, instance, or time of commencing They awaited the commencement of the trial.

2a : 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.

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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

Irvine Unified School District's Woodbridge High celebrated its Class of 2019 at a commencement ceremony on Thursday, June 6, at Irvine Stadium in Irvine. — Oc Register, "Graduation," 8 June 2019 Marietta College: Katelynd Berg of Medina and Jordan Monyak of Brunswick were among more than 215 students who received diplomas at Marietta College’s 182nd commencement ceremony. — Sam Boyer, cleveland.com, "Medina County students excel at universities across the country," 6 June 2019 The Star Press reported that 33 of the 395 Muncie Central graduates were in service and able to attend their commencement ceremony just a day after the invasion. — Dawn Mitchell, Indianapolis Star, "D-Day remembered: How Indiana reacted to the Normandy invasion," 6 June 2019 John Cooper School graduates more than 100 students At the John Cooper School commencement ceremony held May 24 for the Class of 2019, 112 students crossed the stage to receive their diplomas. — Jane Stueckemann, Houston Chronicle, "Montgomery County education briefs: May 27-31," 4 June 2019 This past weekend, Katie went back home to deliver a commencement speech to the graduates of the University of Toledo—and Katie channeled some sweet and surprisingly personal advice to the teens about to embark on their own adventures. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Katie Holmes Delivers a Beautiful, Personal Commencement Speech in Her Hometown," 5 May 2019 During this year’s commencement on May 14, Emory University paid tribute to a student killed in the 2016 Bangladesh terror attack, renaming the school service award in his honor. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Emory University honors student who died for friends in 2016 terror attack," 20 June 2018 Saturday morning’s rain dampened bouquets of flowers and balloons but not families’ excitement at Central Connecticut State University’s commencement. — Rebecca Lurye, courant.com, "Grads Share One More Journey As Blue Devils At CCSU Commencement," 19 May 2018 Walking across the stage at Friday’s commencement marked Carlson’s first college degree, an associate of arts in anthropology. — Rachel Leingang, azcentral, "Oldest-ever Scottsdale Community College grad wants to be student 'till the day I die'," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commencement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.