Synonyms of commenced

commenced

verb

past tense of commence

1

as in began

to take the first step in (a process or course of action)

commence the festivities

Synonyms & Similar Words

• began
• started
• launched
• opened
• initiated
• fell (to)
• created
• entered (into or upon)
• embarked (on or upon)
• struck (into)
• set about
• got off
• got to
• originated
• established
• adopted
• generated
• organized
• got going
• inaugurated
• led off
• kicked off
• invented
• instituted
• founded
• pioneered
• spawned
• innovated
• embraced
• took on
• took up
• set up
• fathered
• got down (to)
• got around (to)
• got round (to)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ended
• concluded
• finished
• terminated
• ceased
• stopped
• completed
• halted
• discontinued
• closed
• laid off
• quit
• left
• abandoned
• desisted
• destroyed
• abolished
• knocked off
• extinguished
• demolished
• forsook
• exterminated
• phased out

2

as in started

to come into existence

the games commenced early in the morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

• began
• started
• originated
• arose
• appeared
• was
• formed
• emerged
• arrived
• dawned
• sprang
• engendered
• set in
• existed
• materialized
• lived
• broke
• actualized
• continued
• lasted
• breathed
• subsisted
• persisted
• survived
• came on
• endured
• shaped (up)
• coalesced
• cohered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ended
• stopped
• ceased
• concluded
• finished
• terminated
• halted
• discontinued
• disappeared
• quit
• dissolved
• died
• vanished
• evaporated
• desisted
• departed
• expired
• perished
• passed away

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of commenced

And so commenced a literally explosive weekend of celebrations across the five boroughs, which culminated in a ticker-tape parade on June 18 to City Hall. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 23 July 2026

Work commenced on the record three months after Drewchin welcomed the arrival of her first child, Nova, a period in which she was consumed with the reality and potentialities of being a new parent. — Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026

Scott’s trial commenced on June 1, 2004, in Redwood City after Judge Alfred Delucchi approved a change of venue from Modesto due to the media scrutiny. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 18 July 2026

Iran has reportedly instructed Yemen's Houthis to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the US strikes Iranian power infrastructure, which has commenced. — Frank Ahrens, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Salvage operations commenced immediately but accomplished little, and the wreck gradually disappeared into the sediment of the Solent. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026

Jockeying has already commenced in the state for the person who might take up the mantle of Senate Democratic nominee, including among those who didn't secure the gubernatorial nomination. — Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 8 July 2026

On Thursday, the star and producer revealed that production has commenced on Fast Forever, which is set for a March 17, 2028 premiere, the 11th and final chapter in the $7 billion action franchise that launched with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 July 2026

The special day commenced at Bay Village City Hall and concluded with a celebratory pizza party at the local police station. — Janey Wetzel, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026