as in beginning
the point at which something begins
there was a large turnout at the commencement of the conference, but the numbers dwindled as it progressed
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Recent Examples of commencement
Mnookin and others eventually negotiated a politically neutral agreement, just in time for commencement day.
—
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 25 Jan. 2026
By moving some commencements away from increasingly costly private sites, the financially ailing school district could have saved about half a million dollars a year.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
If Smith were asked to deliver the commencement address, the message would be straight from the heart.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
That marks a promising commencement for the new comedy drama, which Fox also says has generated about 1 billion minutes viewed across its first two episodes.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commencement
Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 25 Jan. 2026
By moving some commencements away from increasingly costly private sites, the financially ailing school district could have saved about half a million dollars a year.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
If Smith were asked to deliver the commencement address, the message would be straight from the heart.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
That marks a promising commencement for the new comedy drama, which Fox also says has generated about 1 billion minutes viewed across its first two episodes.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commencement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencement
Noun
-
In the picture, baby Elvis is wearing a battered but jaunty felt hat, the sunshine center of a family that also, at the beginning, had nothing.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The opening run of tracks is everything that critics have thrown at them from the beginning.—
Hannah Jocelyn,
Pitchfork,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Little Miss Curlin lost for the first time in five starts, coming north after cleaning out the competition in her native Louisiana.—
Bob Wisener,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
And 2026 is already off to a bloody start, with 46 killed so far, according to the group.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
According to Powerball, the jackpot has been hit almost 200 times since the lottery's inception in 1992.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
From its inception, fascism has functioned less as a system of thought than as a system of action.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Furthermore, since liposomal vitamin C absorbs faster, the side effects of too much vitamin C can have a quicker onset.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Fasten loose objects or shelter objects in a safe location prior to the onset of winds.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This would reduce weight, lower launch costs, and free up space for scientific instruments or communication payloads.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Select retailers will also sell the game during launch week, according to a Nintendo news release.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commencement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencement. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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