Dictionary.com

commence

[ kuh-mens ]
/ kəˈmɛns /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR commence ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object), com·menced, com·menc·ing.

to begin; start.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!
Question 1 of 10
A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?
Often it means something is impossible.
It’s another way to agree with someone.
It serves as an apology.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of commence

1250–1300; Middle English commencen<Anglo-French, Middle French comencer<Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre, equivalent to Latin com-com- + initiāre to begin; see initiate

SYNONYMS FOR commence ON THESAURUS.COM

originate, inaugurate.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR commence ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for commence

See begin.

OTHER WORDS FROM commence

Words nearby commence

comme il faut, commemorate, commemoration, commemorative, commemoratory, commence, commencement, commend, commendable, commendam, commendation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to commence

initiate, begin, inaugurate, take up, launch, originate, open, arise, enter upon, get cracking, get going, hit the ground running, jump into, kick off, lead off, start the ball rolling, tear into, get one's feet wet

Example sentences from the Web for commence

British Dictionary definitions for commence

commence
/ (kəˈmɛns) /

verb

to start or begin; come or cause to come into being, operation, etc

Derived forms of commence

commencer, noun

Word Origin for commence

C14: from Old French comencer, from Vulgar Latin cominitiāre (unattested), from Latin com- (intensive) + initiāre to begin, from initium a beginning
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