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Synonyms

commencement

American  
[kuh-mens-muhnt] / kəˈmɛns mənt /

noun

  1. an act or instance of commencing; beginning.

    the commencement of hostilities.

  2. the ceremony of conferring degrees or granting diplomas at the end of the academic year.

  3. the day on which this ceremony takes place.

commencement British  
/ kəˈmɛnsmənt /

noun

  1. the beginning; start

    1. a ceremony for the presentation of awards at secondary schools

    2. a ceremony for the conferment of academic degrees

"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

Other Word Forms

  • noncommencement noun
  • recommencement noun

Etymology

Origin of commencement

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French; equivalent to commence + -ment

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.