1
as in beginning
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 starting
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 commencing
The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival is around the corner, commencing May 13 with the opening ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in the south of France.
—
Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
This is the phase of the project that’s now commencing.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026
The Competition and Markets Authority sought comments from interested parties last month — a first step towards commencing a deeper examination of a deal that will reshape the global media landscape.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Wickens found time to reflect on his best season yet and career as a whole, amid the weeks-long party that has been commencing in the East Midlands city of Lincoln, after the club won League One in style with 103 points.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Earlier this year, the company announced a publishing administration partnership with 16-time Grammy Award-winner — and Variety’s Hitmakers 2025 songwriter of the year — Bruno Mars, commencing upon the completion of his current deal with BMG/Warner Chappell.
—Andrew Flanagan, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
But soon after pouring millions into upgrading the hydro facility, the company shuttered its Cheboygan operation in 1990, eliminating 300 jobs and commencing the slow decline of the historic mill.
—CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
The accord further prohibited the developers from beginning construction on the new residences before commencing work on these improvements.
—Awilda Esteras, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
According to China General Nuclear (CGN), on 21st February, the reactor pressure vessel for unit 6 began hoisting operations, officially commencing the installation of the unit’s main nuclear island equipment.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 12 May 2026
This is the phase of the project that’s now commencing.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 May 2026
The Competition and Markets Authority sought comments from interested parties last month — a first step towards commencing a deeper examination of a deal that will reshape the global media landscape.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 6 May 2026
Wickens found time to reflect on his best season yet and career as a whole, amid the weeks-long party that has been commencing in the East Midlands city of Lincoln, after the club won League One in style with 103 points.
—Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 May 2026
Earlier this year, the company announced a publishing administration partnership with 16-time Grammy Award-winner — and Variety’s Hitmakers 2025 songwriter of the year — Bruno Mars, commencing upon the completion of his current deal with BMG/Warner Chappell.
—Andrew Flanagan, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
But soon after pouring millions into upgrading the hydro facility, the company shuttered its Cheboygan operation in 1990, eliminating 300 jobs and commencing the slow decline of the historic mill.
—CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
The accord further prohibited the developers from beginning construction on the new residences before commencing work on these improvements.
—Awilda Esteras, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
According to China General Nuclear (CGN), on 21st February, the reactor pressure vessel for unit 6 began hoisting operations, officially commencing the installation of the unit’s main nuclear island equipment.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commencing
Verb
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The affected items were on shelves beginning on May 4, the FDA said.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
While there are still plenty of notable Air Jordan releases on the way in 2026, next year’s lineup is already beginning to take shape.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Winston makes a cameo to execute another electric Ford Field trick play, and the Giants lose a close one with their offense starting to find a new gear.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Even with the regular season a few months away from starting, this week has been full of drama.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
His vision for opening software development to the masses turned his startup into a market leader in AI coding.—
Rebecca Fannin,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
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Sources said a video posted to an online gore site allegedly shows the suspects approaching the center and then opening fire, with a person believed to be suspect Clark wearing camouflage fatigues and a plate carrier.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
15 May 2026
-
Officials say the two seizures were discovered in parcels originating from Europe via Philadelphia.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Verb
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One is the typical Latin American outcome, which is decades of miserable grinding inflationary stagnation, arising from mediocre government policy.—
Nathan Lewis,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
The Casimir force is a real thing, arising from the fact that a vacuum is not actually nothing.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Arena ads made up the vast majority of all gambling references in all of the games, appearing once every 11 seconds on average.—
Luke Connors,
Washington Post,
19 May 2026
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The Rachofskys, for their part, are mainstays on the annual ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, appearing on it each edition since 2002.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commencing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commencing. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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