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 Canadian convenience-store operator expects to commence the offer around late August and complete the deal by December.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
But the CPS's lawyer said withholding the identities was a "time-limited decision" until "proceedings commence substantively" in the UK.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
If all goes well, orders are likely to commence next year.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
Complications commence when a space research vessel smashes into Prodigy Corp.-controlled Bangkok.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
The president of the bank, Jezdimir Vasiljevic, had given his executives the authority to offer a purse of $5 million with one stipulation: The match had to commence in three weeks in Yugoslavia.
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
The expansion adds 900,000 tons of brown paper production, which starts in 1Q, and 1.5 million tons of white paper production, which commences in 2H, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
In Ryan Coogler’s Imax spectacle, where the blues collides with vampires, the monstrous transformation commences with Pearline’s siren call: “Pale, Pale Moon.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
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
The singing commences again, and I realize that the Easter matins have begun.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
The Japanese currency has commenced a new downward march, so perhaps it’s time for a new plan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The perplexed company contacted the police and investigations commenced.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Structural removal commenced Tuesday and is now 6.5% complete, and there are around 200 people working on the site around the clock.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
That’s changed since last fall, when a historic borrowing spree to fund AI infrastructure commenced.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
He imagined my recovery would be rapid enough when once commenced.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Reports indicate SpaceX is targeting a June listing with trading commencing shortly after.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner in Kenya also announced it was commencing an investigation into privacy concerns raised by the glasses.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
The U.K. plans to launch a new July 2036 gilt via syndication on the week commencing April 13.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 10 January 2026.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
“Tower. Engine explosion! Cockpit lights out. Am commencing starboard turn to avoid populated area. Will attempt to punch out when wings are level. Wish me luck. Over.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
