as in beginning
the point at which something begins
there was a large turnout at the commencement of the conference, but the numbers dwindled as it progressed
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of commencement
Courage Under Fire evidenced that, especially following a kerfuffle just days before over Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s commencement address at Benedictine College in Kansas.
—
Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 31 Oct. 2024
At the commencement address for her boyfriend, 45 years ago, the then president of Bank of America told the graduates that by sometime in the 2020s the United States would be a minority-majority country.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
For a century, student journalists at Howard University have chronicled life on the campus in Washington, D.C., including commencement addresses by seven presidents, celebrity visits and other monumental occasions.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024
The length of the tax exemption ranges from 25 to 35 years, depending on the commencement date of the project.
—Shimon Shkury, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commencement 
Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 31 Oct. 2024
At the commencement address for her boyfriend, 45 years ago, the then president of Bank of America told the graduates that by sometime in the 2020s the United States would be a minority-majority country.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024
For a century, student journalists at Howard University have chronicled life on the campus in Washington, D.C., including commencement addresses by seven presidents, celebrity visits and other monumental occasions.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024
The length of the tax exemption ranges from 25 to 35 years, depending on the commencement date of the project.
—Shimon Shkury, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for commencement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencement
Noun
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Popular on Variety At the beginning, these demonstrations are at the margins of the film — more like background noise than an integral part of the plot.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Jan. 2025
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And high temperatures at the beginning of recent school years have closed school buildings across the country due to inability to handle the heat.—
Lexi Lonas Cochran,
The Hill,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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High-profile mass shootings at the Crown Center shopping center and the Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally at Union Station heralded a violent start to the year for Kansas City in 2024, shocking the public with their brazen nature and widespread impact.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
17 Jan. 2025
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After a rocky start to 2025, Wall Street is regaining its swing.—
Fred Imbert,
CNBC,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But opinions on this issue have actually remained pretty consistently in favor of the Paris agreement since its inception: 62 percent of Americans were opposed when Trump withdrew from it for the first time back in 2017, and the same share supported Biden's decision to rejoin in 2021.—
Mary Radcliffe,
ABC News,
22 Jan. 2025
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More meme coins have emerged since the inception of fartcoin.—
Yun Li,Jesse Pound,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Exposure to air pollution such as wildfire smoke can also lead to the onset of asthma in otherwise healthy people, Lamb said.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Jan. 2025
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Chronic stress disproportionately impacts Black women and is a major contributor to the onset of serious health conditions.—
Jameelah Nasheed,
Essence,
13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The meme coin’s developers have limited the supply of $TRUMP to 200 million coins at launch before expanding the overall supply to 1 billion over the next three years, according to the coin’s website.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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Here’s to the week ahead, and don’t hesitate to reach out with comments, questions, feedback, joy, or news of a rocket launch in your future.—
Peter Green,
Quartz,
19 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near commencement
Cite this Entry
“Commencement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencement. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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