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

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Milwaukee chef and restaurateur Dan Jacobs will cook up a commencement speech for the University of Wisconsin-Madison this winter. —Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2024

In the aftermath, the university canceled its commencement, and its president, Minouche Shafik, resigned months later. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 13 Oct. 2024

That’d be kicker Harrison Butker, who made headlines for spewing conservative beliefs during a commencement speech in May. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024

Ahead of New York Fashion Week’s commencement on Friday, many were looking forward to the Collina Strada show. —Hannah Malach, WWD, 6 Sep. 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