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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Recent Examples of commencement
One is an essay for a gathering of poet laureates; the other is a commencement address for their Maine High School.
—
Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025
The district recently announced dates and locations for several summer 2025 commencement ceremonies.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 1 Feb. 2025
Photos from set began pouring online following the commencement of principal photography in the U.K. beginning late September.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2024
In photographs obtained and shared by The U.S. Sun, the former television host attended the commencement ceremony at Florida International University, using a mobility scooter among the crowd.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for commencement
Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025
The district recently announced dates and locations for several summer 2025 commencement ceremonies.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 1 Feb. 2025
Photos from set began pouring online following the commencement of principal photography in the U.K. beginning late September.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 28 Dec. 2024
In photographs obtained and shared by The U.S. Sun, the former television host attended the commencement ceremony at Florida International University, using a mobility scooter among the crowd.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for commencement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencement
Noun
-
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is now down 2.1% since the beginning of President Donald Trump ’s second term.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Post has been dating Christy Lee since the beginning of this year, sources told the outlet.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Mittelstadt had a strong postseason for Colorado and got off to a good start this season, but his game has since taken a downturn.—
Peter Baugh,
The Athletic,
6 Mar. 2025
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After nine starts, five sacks and 22 tackles last season, Bosa commanded more than $36 million of the Chargers’ salary cap in 2025, the largest cap hit for any edge rusher in the league, according to Overthecap.com.—
Thuc Nhi Nguyen,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Since its inception, NASA has selected 61 women to be astronauts, and the first all-female spacewalk, carried out by NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, occurred outside the International Space Station in October 2019.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
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Since its inception, the program has raised $358 million for causes.—
David Hessekiel,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Exercise increases core temperature, leading to a more rapid decline in temperature post-exercise, hastening sleep onset and deepening sleep.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
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Cowart’s mother, Faye Cowart, has early onset Alzheimer’s and struggles with being in a new place.—
Alicia Victoria Lozano,
NBC News,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
If successful, Starship's reusability could significantly reduce the cost per launch.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
8 Mar. 2025
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This marked the second consecutive test flight that ended in Starship—the largest space launch system ever built—exploding in flight.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commencement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencement. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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