commencement

noun

com·​mence·​ment kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt 

1

: an act, instance, or time of commencing

They awaited the commencement of the trial.

2

a

: the ceremonies or the day for conferring degrees or diplomas

A Nobel Prize winner will speak at the commencement.

b

: the period of activities at this time

Commencement will kick off with a family reception followed by a banquet.

Synonyms

• alpha
• baseline
• beginning
• birth
• dawn
• day one
• genesis
• get-go
• git-go
• inception
• incipience
• incipiency
• kickoff
• launch
• morning
• nascence
• nascency
• onset
• outset
• start
• threshold

Examples of commencement in a Sentence

A poet will speak at the commencement.

there was a large turnout at the commencement of the conference, but the numbers dwindled as it progressed

Recent Examples on the Web

May Records showed there was no evidence of a mass shooting plot for Dogwood Dell in 2022, VCU grads protested Youngkin's commencement speech by walking out, and pop star Chappell Roan performed in Richmond. —Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 23 Dec. 2024

Reed Arena: Graduate and Professional Degrees When is The University of Houston's fall graduation and commencement? —Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 11 Dec. 2024

The Oscar winner returned to her alma mater in 2015 to deliver an inspiring commencement speech to the graduating class. —Diana Pearl, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024

Last spring, pro-Palestinian tent encampments crowded schools and disrupted commencement plans, drawing accusations of antisemitism and prompting new limits. —Annie Ma, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see commence

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

commencement

noun

com·​mence·​ment kə-ˈmen(t)s-mənt 

1

: an act, instance, or time of commencing

2

: the ceremonies or the day for presenting degrees or diplomas to graduates of a school or college