as in beginnings
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 commencements
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
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencements
Noun
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North County is considered to be the cradle of skateboarding, which has grown from its rough around the edges beginnings into a billion dollar industry where icons like Tony Hawk have become global celebrities.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
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Staging and laying groundwork are excellent uses of days that don’t facilitate successful beginnings.—
Magi Helena,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Pickett appeared in six games (two starts) for the Raiders.—
Mike Kaye
Updated March 9,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Mar. 2026
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Leaning into faith over fear, the 31-year-old starts to learn how to let go.—
Larisha Paul,
VIBE.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As a ballplayer, Kent was as irascible as Bonds; the two alphas reportedly brawled behind clubhouse doors, and famously clashed in the dugout during a 2002 game, when Bonds lunged for Kent’s throat and pushed him against the wall.—
Jeremy Collins,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Still, air-raid sirens and explosions could be heard Wednesday across central and northern Israel, which said missile launches from Iran were continuing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
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The stage is nearly equal in diameter to Orion and its service module, has been proven reliable on all of ULA's Vulcan missions to date, and doesn't need to be designed from scratch to support the needs of future Artemis launches.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commencements.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencements. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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