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
Last spring, school after school struggled to keep their commencements from careening into controversial territory.
—
Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Since the commencement of Phase 1 of the hostage-ceasefire deal on Jan. 19, more than 25,000 trucks have entered Gaza (about 600 per day), carrying a total of 57,000 tons of food.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Jeannie Leavitt, the first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, delivered the spring commencement speech last year.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2025
Oscar winner Jane Fonda will deliver USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism commencement speech as its 2025 keynote speaker, the school announced today.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commencement
Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Since the commencement of Phase 1 of the hostage-ceasefire deal on Jan. 19, more than 25,000 trucks have entered Gaza (about 600 per day), carrying a total of 57,000 tons of food.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Jeannie Leavitt, the first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, delivered the spring commencement speech last year.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2025
Oscar winner Jane Fonda will deliver USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism commencement speech as its 2025 keynote speaker, the school announced today.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commencement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencement
Noun
-
What To Know James appeared on the Special Report with Areva Martin podcast on Tuesday, and was asked at the beginning of the interview about the DOJ reviewing the fraud allegations against her.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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The painstaking installation process began at the beginning of 2024, and took months of work to complete before it could be utilized for the first time.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But while the Albertsons crew is only just revealing themselves for the first time, discretion was only really a priority at the very start.—
Nate Rogers,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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To this point, this is the worst start to a presidential term for the S & P 500 since 1928.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For those seeking less volatility than individual stocks, consider the High-Quality portfolio, which has outperformed the S&P 500 and delivered returns of over 91% since its inception.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Since its inception, the event has grown while maintaining the welcoming feel of peeking into someone’s life and design style.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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What To Know The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of National Social Security Month in 2020 and it was not reinstated during the Biden administration.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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Barker says the league has embraced the two different viewing perspectives of seeing players live on site or with their families elsewhere after conducting a fully virtual draft during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In her launch video, Stratton wasted no time outlining the stakes.—
Melissa Noel,
Essence,
25 Apr. 2025
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While posing for photos at the New York City book launch event, Knowles was joined by Holmes.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commencement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencement. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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