commencement

noun

kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt How to pronounce commencement (audio)
Definition of commencementnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of commencement Compton-Rock shared a sweet Instagram post from her daughter’s commencement ceremony at the University of Southern California on Monday, May 18. — Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2026 Graduates leave Gas South Arena during Emory University's commencement ceremony in 2024. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 3 Sep. 2026 Graduates at the University of Arizona and University of Central Florida booed mentions of AI during commencement speeches last spring. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 With the acclaim came the awards, the invitations to give commencement speeches, the honorary degrees, the chance to perform before thousands of fans at big-time sports events. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commencement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencement
  1. beginning
  2. start
  3. inception
  4. onset
  5. launch
Noun
  • Little’s victory could be the beginning of another Republican sweep.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In fact, Taylor’s playing at the beginning of the first set almost feels like a more angular take on early-’60s Money Jungle-era Ellington.
    — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of beginning
Noun
  • Hemphill says doing the main pruning in spring prevents winter damage to tender young shoots and gives them a clean start for the new season.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Méndez finished his first regular season with six goals and four assists in 14 appearances with 10 starts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of start
Noun
  • The Christian Science Monitor owned and operated eight Linotype machines at inception.
    — Aaron Glantz, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2026
  • This happened despite the fact that calculations of orbital forcings, together with modeling of how carbon dioxide interferes with glacial inception, have suggested the next ice age was postponed by tens of thousands of years.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of inception
Noun
  • This is a movie about selective memory, centered on a fortysomething film director named Shinpei (Kato Shinsuke) whose career has been prematurely halted by early-onset dementia.
    — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Researchers from McGill University in Canada and the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom enrolled 96 adults between the ages of 18 and 45 who were living with obesity and early-onset type 2 diabetes.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of onset
Noun
  • At launch, MTPeak withheld the performance and price tag details, using the excuse that the final cost will depend on individual customization.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Inside the classified mission USSF-432 is part of a series of national security launches associated with the Space Force.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of launch

Browse Nearby Words

commenced
commencement
commencements
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Cite this Entry

“Commencement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencement. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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