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 business will now commence trading in administration managed by FRP Advisory as they seek to continue discussions with interested parties regarding a sale of some or all of the business and its brands."

From BBC

Museum director-general Bart Ouvry said a new effort to digitize its archives commenced at the start of February, building on past work to create a homogenized data set.

From The Wall Street Journal

The institute has begun recruiting students for the 2026-27 academic year, and operations are set to commence in the next few months.

From BBC

The four stocks joined the S&P 500 as trading commenced on Monday.

From Barron's

Shares are at their highest level since they commenced trading on the New York Stock Exchange in February 2020.

From Barron's

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