Synonyms

commence

American

[kuh-mens] / kəˈmɛns /

verb (used with or without object)

commenced, commencing

to begin; start.

Synonyms:

originate, initiate, inaugurate

commence British

/ kəˈmɛns /

verb

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

"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

Related Words

See begin.

Other Word Forms

commenceable adjective
commencer noun
recommence verb

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”; initiate

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.

The bank said it will commence a new $1.5 billion share buyback imminently.

From The Wall Street Journal

There are 5,000 party members attending the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party, which commenced on 19 February, according to KCNA.

From BBC

His estate announced on Wednesday that it has "commenced a formal sale process" for the franchise "consistent with Allen's directive to eventually sell his sports holdings and direct all estate proceeds to philanthropy".

From BBC

The program is set to commence immediately and will end no later than Dec. 29, it added.

From The Wall Street Journal

If Eddie Bauer is unable to come to a sale arrangement, “we will commence an orderly wind down of…store operations,” he added.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023