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

Jeannie Leavitt, the first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, delivered the spring commencement speech last year. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2025

Oscar winner Jane Fonda will deliver USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism commencement speech as its 2025 keynote speaker, the school announced today. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025

And a university in Buffalo, N.Y., outsourced its commencement speech to an A.I. robot named Sophia. —Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Kermit will deliver the commencement address on May 21, the university announced Wednesday. —Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2025

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