commencement
an act or instance of commencing; beginning: the commencement of hostilities.
the ceremony of conferring degrees or granting diplomas at the end of the academic year.
the day on which this ceremony takes place.
Origin of commencement
1Other words from commencement
- non·com·mence·ment, noun
- re·com·mence·ment, noun
Words Nearby commencement
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use commencement in a sentence
You may not remember, but you were our commencement keynote speaker that day at the George Washington University National Center.
An Open Letter to Attorney General Eric Holder: It’s Not About Race | Ron Christie | July 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis power has been seen recently in a host of cancellations of commencement speakers.
Watch What You Say, The New Liberal Power Elite Won’t Tolerate Dissent | Joel Kotkin | June 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTKudos to Ex-Mayor Mike, whose Harvard commencement address called for inclusion of more conservatives in higher education.
Bloomberg’s Surprising Harvard Commencement Address Attacks Campus Ideologues | Ron Christie | June 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAll you really need for an inspiring commencement address is untamed enthusiasm and a big dream.
Chubby Korean Baby Dance, Goat Riding Guy Riding Bike, and More Viral Videos | The Daily Beast Video | June 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSpeaking at the commencement Ceremony at West Point, he said, “We are winding down our war in Afghanistan,” he said.
In this little room the galleries had been designed; the windows had looked upon the commencement of the great work.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsBut Ulm was only the commencement of the campaign, and even after Austerlitz Napoleon pursued the enemy with grim resolution.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonHe graduated at Yale college, and at the commencement of hostilities was appointed to the chief command of the Connecticut troops.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThe first commencement of Union College for conferring degrees in the arts and sciences.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellAt the very commencement of the campaign Massna committed a fault which almost ruined his career.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
British Dictionary definitions for commencement
/ (kəˈmɛnsmənt) /
the beginning; start
US and Canadian a ceremony for the presentation of awards at secondary schools
US a ceremony for the conferment of academic degrees
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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