1
as in began
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
commence the festivities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in started
to come into existence
the games commenced early in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commenced
Thus commenced an awkward situation in which the next Rutgers president would inherit an athletic director who had just been hired by his predecessor.
—
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Initial trial retrievals of fuel debris from Unit 2 have already commenced.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
An investigation into the fire and a search for Gard — which included searching the acres of cornfields around her residence — commenced shortly after.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
Standing in for the franchise’s original hometown of Fernfield is Fort Langley, British Columbia, where production recently commenced.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Israel then commenced a military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
As the speed rounds commenced, Meri first met with a man named Lee.
—Dory Jackson, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
The Bank of Japan has commenced with tapering, incrementally selling off its huge investments in ETFs that primed the stock market under Abe, and is signaling incremental interest rate increases.
—Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
Building on the site commenced in the 13th century under the instruction of Ibn al-Ahmar, the first member of the Nasrid family to be emir of Granada, and the sprawling compound was used by the emirs until Isabella and Ferdinand conquered the city in 1492.
—Fiona Mozley, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Initial trial retrievals of fuel debris from Unit 2 have already commenced.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
An investigation into the fire and a search for Gard — which included searching the acres of cornfields around her residence — commenced shortly after.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
Standing in for the franchise’s original hometown of Fernfield is Fort Langley, British Columbia, where production recently commenced.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Israel then commenced a military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
As the speed rounds commenced, Meri first met with a man named Lee.
—Dory Jackson, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
The Bank of Japan has commenced with tapering, incrementally selling off its huge investments in ETFs that primed the stock market under Abe, and is signaling incremental interest rate increases.
—Jeff Kingston, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
Building on the site commenced in the 13th century under the instruction of Ibn al-Ahmar, the first member of the Nasrid family to be emir of Granada, and the sprawling compound was used by the emirs until Isabella and Ferdinand conquered the city in 1492.
—Fiona Mozley, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commenced
Verb
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According to the National Retail Federation's survey 49% of shoppers began to grab Halloween goodies in September or even earlier, up 2% from last year.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The couple began dating in 2017 and got engaged about two years later.—
Alyssa Davis,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
At the back of a buzzy canteen, there are a pair of meeting spaces, whose names revolve with the latest academy players to have started a Premier League game for Newcastle.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Skilled forgers started to catch on, endeavoring to cash in on that development.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The two companies announced Tuesday that, in the near future, ChatGPT users will soon be able to use ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout feature—launched late last month—to purchase items from Walmart’s site.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
14 Oct. 2025
-
That tool was launched in 2017 by 538, which was dismantled earlier this year by ABC News.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The sturdy wood vessel lined with a silky white interior originated as a traditional mortuary viewing casket before a midlife career change took it to the stage.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
-
All three originated on different Amazon platforms.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The performance opened with Hoying singing live, adding a personal touch to the tribute.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Long before spots like Rosa Sky and Sexy Fish arrived and just months before Komodo opened, Brickell was more of a financial center and not the best place for a party.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The bribery and money laundering charges against Smartmatic arose from an existing case filed last year against some of its current and former executives, including its founder.—
Marshall Cohen,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Oud-Heverlee Leuven’s first goal in their 2-1 win over FC Twente on Wednesday arose from a penalty given after review for handball; Leuven’s players appealed at the time, and replays showed a clear handball.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bari Weiss’ television prospects once appeared to be fairly bleak.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The players were greeting one another following the Chiefs’ 30-17 victory when Detroit’s Brian Branch appeared to snub KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But one scholar, Anthony Grafton, who about thirty years ago published Forgers and Critics, focused on how in the early modern period, there was this enormous flourishing not only of culture but also of liars.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
-
There was a chill in the air, but for Liverpool’s midfielder, newly arrived from Spain, the real culture shock was what happened on the pitch.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commenced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commenced. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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