commencement
Americannoun
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an act or instance of commencing; beginning.
the commencement of hostilities.
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the ceremony of conferring degrees or granting diplomas at the end of the academic year.
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the day on which this ceremony takes place.
noun
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the beginning; start
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a ceremony for the presentation of awards at secondary schools
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a ceremony for the conferment of academic degrees
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of commencement
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French; equivalent to commence + -ment
Explanation
A commencement is the act of starting out, or blazing a new trail. The suffix -ment makes the word commencement a noun — a thing, an activity, a start. The word can be used for the beginning of anything, from a business meeting to a vacation trip to a marriage. Anything that begins has a moment of commencement. That's why a graduation ceremony is called a commencement — a graduate is embarking on a new life, and the commencement ritual marks the official beginning of that life.
Vocabulary lists containing commencement
The Vocabulary of College
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A Graduation Lexicon
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Steve Jobs's Commencement Address (2005)
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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:
Plebes, prohibited from fraternizing with girls, celebrated spring commencement by marching across the walkways and climbing Herndon.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
She holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Michigan, where she was selected to deliver her class commencement speech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
New college graduates booed commencement speakers who spoke of the benefits of artificial intelligence during their graduation ceremonies.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026
She spoke at Chaffey College’s commencement ceremony, livestreamed on YouTube.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Like universities across the country, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh holds its spring commencement in May.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
“I have presided over 28 commencements as a president and dean, and those ceremonies are about celebrating the graduates and their supporters,” Schapiro wrote in a letter declining the speech.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
Few West Coast universities rival the pomp of the University of Southern California’s commencements.
From New York Times ● May 8, 2024
Some schools have reached agreements with protesters to end the demonstrations and reduce the possibility of disrupting final exams and commencements.
From Seattle Times ● May 5, 2024
More than two dozen satellite commencements for individual colleges and schools would continue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
For my final round of commencements as First Lady, I spoke at Jackson State University in Mississippi, another historically black school, using the opportunity to talk about striving for excellence.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
