1
as in begins
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
commence the festivities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in starts
to come into existence
the games commenced early in the morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commences
There’s now just one last day of preseason games before the NFL commences its regular season.
—
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Cade Klubnik is already getting high praise before the season even commences.
—Cecil Merkerson, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Beyond eclipses, Uranus commences its yearly retrograde in Gemini on September 6th.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 19 Aug. 2025
The notice doesn’t yet list which countries will be subject to the program, but the initial list is slated to be released when the program commences on August 20, 2025.
—AFAR Media, 12 Aug. 2025
Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Cade Klubnik is already getting high praise before the season even commences.
—Cecil Merkerson, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Beyond eclipses, Uranus commences its yearly retrograde in Gemini on September 6th.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 19 Aug. 2025
The notice doesn’t yet list which countries will be subject to the program, but the initial list is slated to be released when the program commences on August 20, 2025.
—AFAR Media, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commences
Verb
-
The practice week begins in earnest on Wednesday.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
When the sun begins to dip, head over to the Catalina Casino.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These fees, which begin accruing once a driver arrives at the pickup location, apply until the ride starts.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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Both mortgage and auto loan balances also rose, indicating that consumers may be strapped for cash as inflation continues to take hold of their wallets and the shadow cast by tariffs starts to influence consumers’ behavior.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This phrase originates from drag culture where performers' wigs are sometimes removed to represent amusement or shock.—
Mia Thurow,
jsonline.com,
20 Aug. 2025
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After undergoing testing, scans and a biopsy, Barbery was diagnosed with olfactory neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer that originates in the nasal cavity.—
Vanessa Etienne,
People.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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It was meant to show how the history of human evolution arises from our literary relationship to the earth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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Intuition arises effortlessly and quickly.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement Advertisement GSF posted videos on social media showing the incident, later followed by a video showing damage to the vessel with burn marks on what appears to be the main deck.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
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But the notion of mysterious objects hurtling through the air in a way that appears intelligently controlled is hard to seperate from the stigma of little green men and flying saucers.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commences. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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