1
as in begins
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
commence the festivities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in starts
to come into existence
the games commenced early in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 commences
There’s now just one last day of preseason games before the NFL commences its regular season.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Cade Klubnik is already getting high praise before the season even commences.
—Cecil Merkerson, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Beyond eclipses, Uranus commences its yearly retrograde in Gemini on September 6th.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 19 Aug. 2025
The notice doesn’t yet list which countries will be subject to the program, but the initial list is slated to be released when the program commences on August 20, 2025.
—AFAR Media, 12 Aug. 2025
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Cade Klubnik is already getting high praise before the season even commences.
—Cecil Merkerson, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Beyond eclipses, Uranus commences its yearly retrograde in Gemini on September 6th.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 19 Aug. 2025
The notice doesn’t yet list which countries will be subject to the program, but the initial list is slated to be released when the program commences on August 20, 2025.
—AFAR Media, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commences
Verb
-
The practice week begins in earnest on Wednesday.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
When the sun begins to dip, head over to the Catalina Casino.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If this is an organization that is trying to be taken more seriously, then accountability starts with the front office itself — not with a player saying what everyone around the league is already thinking.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Hydroplaning is when a vehicle starts uncontrollably sliding on wet roads.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This phrase originates from drag culture where performers' wigs are sometimes removed to represent amusement or shock.—
Mia Thurow,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
-
After undergoing testing, scans and a biopsy, Barbery was diagnosed with olfactory neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that originates in the nasal cavity.—
Vanessa Etienne,
People.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
According to scientists, a molecular dipole arises when a molecule has partial positive and partial negative charge regions, giving the molecule an overall polarity that points in a specific direction.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
-
And then, of course, what happens is the streaming world arises.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement Advertisement GSF posted videos on social media showing the incident, later followed by a video showing damage to the vessel with burn marks on what appears to be the main deck.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
-
But the notion of mysterious objects hurtling through the air in a way that appears intelligently controlled is hard to seperate from the stigma of little green men and flying saucers.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commences. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share