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
The video shows fans getting ready outside, preparing for their idol's last show of the over tour that commenced in September 2021 and spanned more than 170 dates.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
Then, losses suffered at another of World War II’s bloodiest campaigns, the Normandy invasion that commenced with D-Day on June 6, 1944, led to a need for reinforcements like Buford.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 25 Dec. 2025
The 15-song project, released this June, commenced Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It… series, which saw seven legendary acts crafting new projects with guidance from Nas.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
James Cameron’s third installment in his groundbreaking Avatar series minted green at multiplexes around the globe over the weekend as the year-end holiday box office commenced in earnest.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commence
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Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 27 Dec. 2025
Then, losses suffered at another of World War II’s bloodiest campaigns, the Normandy invasion that commenced with D-Day on June 6, 1944, led to a need for reinforcements like Buford.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 25 Dec. 2025
The 15-song project, released this June, commenced Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It… series, which saw seven legendary acts crafting new projects with guidance from Nas.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2025
James Cameron’s third installment in his groundbreaking Avatar series minted green at multiplexes around the globe over the weekend as the year-end holiday box office commenced in earnest.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 21 Dec. 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 31 Dec. 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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