Commence | Definition of commence by Merriam-Webster

Full Definition of COMMENCE

transitive verb

: to enter upon : begin <commence proceedings>

intransitive verb

1

: to have or make a beginning : start

2

chiefly British : to take a degree at a university

— com·menc·er noun

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Examples of COMMENCE

Dear God, I thought, I've been infected by an earworm. My friend the Longhair says that's what you call songs that burrow into your head and commence chewing your brains. —Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Apr./1 May 2009
He thereupon commenced giving me this fantastically boring lecture about how the only reason I want a stuffed chicken is because they look so good in a shop window, and that the moment I received one I'd start dreaming up ways to ditch it. —Douglas Coupland, Generation X, 1991
“Why shoot, I thought you wanted to be a lawyer, you've already commenced going to court.” The ladies laughed again. —Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
The policy would commence not only with the limiting of permits for the building of hotels and boats but with supervision—through expert architectural advice—of the construction of these boats and hotels … —William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982
I have commenced two letters to send you before this, both of which displeased me before I got half done, and so I tore them up. —Abraham Lincoln, letter, 4 May 1837
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Origin of COMMENCE

Middle English comencen, from Anglo-French comencer, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiare, from Latin com- + Late Latin initiare to begin, from Latin, to initiate

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to COMMENCE

Synonyms: begin, embark (on or upon), enter (into or upon), fall (to), get off, kick off, launch, lead off, open, start, strike (into)

Antonyms: conclude, end, finish, terminate

Synonym Discussion of COMMENCE

begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation. begin , start , and commence are often interchangeable. begin, opposed to end, is the most general <begin a trip> <began dancing>. start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages <the work started slowly>. commence can be more formal or bookish than begin or start <commence firing> <commenced a conversation>. initiate implies taking a first step in a process or series that is to continue <initiated diplomatic contacts>. inaugurate suggests a beginning of some formality or notion of significance <the discovery of penicillin inaugurated a new era in medicine>. usher in is somewhat less weighty than inaugurate <ushered in a period of economic decline>.

Rhymes with COMMENCE

defense, expense, horse sense, incense, nonsense, past tense, sequence, sixth sense

Definition of COMMENCE for Kids

: begin 1, start

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for "commence"

Spanish Central: Spanish translation of "commence"

Nglish: Translation of "commence" for Spanish speakers

Britannica English: Translation of "commence" for Arabic speakers

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