commence
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
commences,
present (3rd person singular)
-
commenced,
past participle, past
-
commencing
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See begin.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
commencesimple
-
commencessimple
-
have commencedperfect
-
has commencedperfect
-
am commencingprogressive
-
are commencingprogressive
-
is commencingprogressive
-
have been commencingperfect progressive
-
has been commencingperfect progressive
Past
-
commencedsimple
-
had commencedperfect
-
was commencingprogressive
-
were commencingprogressive
-
had been commencingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of commence
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English commencen, from Anglo-French, Middle French comencer, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin cominitiāre, equivalent to Latin com- com- + initiāre “to begin”; see initiate
Explanation
Commence is a fancy way of saying "begin." Your invitation to a formal wedding might note, "The ceremony will commence at noon." If a congressman wants to start a meeting to vote on an important bill, he might say, "This meeting will begin immediately." Or, he could make the same statement in a more formal way by saying, "This meeting will commence immediately." Interestingly enough, while the word commence means to start, a commencement ceremony marks the end of a college career.
Vocabulary lists containing commence
Bud, Not Buddy
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The men are both hard at work, as their seasons commence, exploring crimes that might not be crimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It’s the kind of moment where everyone in the room knows what’s next and everyone is eagerly awaiting for the action to commence.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
The president said he had "directed the Nigerian Air Force to immediately commence a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash to prevent future occurrences".
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
Oroco hopes that its Mexican asset, which contains around a billion tons of copper ore and is forecast to have an operational life of twenty years, will commence production in 2032.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
And then there were the players, gathering onstage, waiting for the signal from the referee to take their places and commence their games.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
July 6: Boeing commences production on the "North Line" in Everett, Washington, part of a strategy to increase output of the 737 MAX.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Which is too bad, because the book gains energy when the flattery ebbs and the dishing commences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
District Judge Tanya Chutkan, has to decide before the actual trial commences what evidence proffered by the DOJ will be admissible.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2024
Two minutes after easing onto the 405 Freeway, the freak-out that began this story and revealed that Segel is driving alongside us commences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
But before anything interesting can happen, the preaching commences.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Poland also announced "aviation operations" had commenced following the Russian attack.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
“Kituwah commenced an investigation. It has determined that 4 13 Solutions’ representations were part of Smith’s and Mosley’s scheme to cheat Kituwah out of $2.5 million dollars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
"If they do not, there is a clear obligation on the secretary of state to remove them from office and I am writing to him today to ask this process is commenced immediately," Lockhart said.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Mr. Trump was talking to Tucker Carlson by phone in the weeks before the Iran war commenced.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Right off, Lee Roy commenced saying how hungry he was, though it was only ten o’clock.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
The fourth round will take place during the week commencing 26 October.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
There would be an annual championship game between the two leagues, commencing at the end of the 1966 season, and both leagues would hold a common draft of college players, effectively ending a bidding war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Reports indicate SpaceX is targeting a June listing with trading commencing shortly after.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
One kid kicked a football, commencing a mad scramble as a group of friends converged on the object of their delight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2025
There is great pleasure in being out in the city before the sun is up, streetlights glowing, the hum of a Parisian day commencing.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
