commence
verb
com·mence
kə-ˈmen(t)s 
commenced; commencing
: to enter upon : begin
commence proceedings
commencer
noun
Examples of commence in a Sentence
Dear God, I thought, I've been infected by an earworm. My friend the Longhair says that's what you call songs that burrow into your head and commence chewing your brains.
—
Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Apr./1 May 2009
He thereupon commenced giving me this fantastically boring lecture about how the only reason I want a stuffed chicken is because they look so good in a shop window, and that the moment I received one I'd start dreaming up ways to ditch it.
—Douglas Coupland, Generation X, 1991
The policy would commence not only with the limiting of permits for the building of hotels and boats but with supervision—through expert architectural advice—of the construction of these boats and hotels …
—William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982
"Why shoot, I thought you wanted to be a lawyer, you've already commenced going to court." The ladies laughed again.
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
I have commenced two letters to send you before this, both of which displeased me before I got half done, and so I tore them up.
—Abraham Lincoln, letter, 4 May 1837
The festivities will commence with a parade.
Their contract commences in January.
The court commenced criminal proceedings.
The country has commenced preparations for war.
Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Apr./1 May 2009
He thereupon commenced giving me this fantastically boring lecture about how the only reason I want a stuffed chicken is because they look so good in a shop window, and that the moment I received one I'd start dreaming up ways to ditch it.
—Douglas Coupland, Generation X, 1991
The policy would commence not only with the limiting of permits for the building of hotels and boats but with supervision—through expert architectural advice—of the construction of these boats and hotels …
—William Styron, This Quiet Dust and Other Writings, (1953) 1982
"Why shoot, I thought you wanted to be a lawyer, you've already commenced going to court." The ladies laughed again.
—Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
I have commenced two letters to send you before this, both of which displeased me before I got half done, and so I tore them up.
—Abraham Lincoln, letter, 4 May 1837
The festivities will commence with a parade.
Their contract commences in January.
The court commenced criminal proceedings.
The country has commenced preparations for war.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mad Men would be named Best Drama for a third straight year and Temple Grandin commenced what turned out to be a seemingly endless onslaught at every applicable awards show, as the TV-movie tied an Emmy record with five major wins.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 Sep. 2025
By the time the impeachment trial commenced, the top-down pressure from prominent, national Republicans could be seen and felt.
—Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Northern Super League Commences Expansion Process for 2027 The Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s professional women’s soccer league, has commenced the process for adding an additional club in 2027.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Indian government sources told me that the third stage of the project, expected to commence around 2042, will commandeer the entire island.
—M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commence
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Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 Sep. 2025
By the time the impeachment trial commenced, the top-down pressure from prominent, national Republicans could be seen and felt.
—Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Northern Super League Commences Expansion Process for 2027 The Northern Super League (NSL), Canada’s professional women’s soccer league, has commenced the process for adding an additional club in 2027.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Indian government sources told me that the third stage of the project, expected to commence around 2042, will commandeer the entire island.
—M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commence
Cite this Entry
“Commence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commence. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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Etymology
Middle English comencen "to begin," from early French comencer (same meaning), probably from a Latin word cominitiare "to begin," from com- "with, together" and initiare "to begin" — related to initiate
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