Standard Lemma guide

commencement

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kəˈmɛnsmənt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 M EH1 N S M AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing; the beginning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The time of Henry VII nearly coincides with the commencement of what is termed modern history.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rise, origin, beginning, start, dawn

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: education

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A graduation ceremony, from a school, college or university. Sometimes before the actual graduation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: education

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the act of starting something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: beginning, start

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change of state

Narrower terms: springboard, jumping-off point, point of departure, activation, attack, tone-beginning, constitution, establishment, formation, organization, organisation, introduction, debut, first appearance, launching, unveiling, entry, face-off, first step, initiative, opening move, opening, groundbreaking, groundbreaking ceremony, housing start, icebreaker, inauguration, startup, initiation, founding, foundation, institution, origination, creation, innovation, instauration, installation, installing, installment, instalment, jump ball, kickoff, resumption, recommencement, scrum, scrummage

5

noun

Meaning 5

an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: commencement exercise, commencement ceremony, graduation, graduation exercise

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: exercise

6

noun

Meaning 6

the time at which something is supposed to begin

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they got an early start
  • she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: beginning, first, outset, get-go, start, kickoff, starting time, showtime, offset

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: point, point in time

Narrower terms: birth, incipiency, incipience, terminus a quo, starting point, threshold

History

Etymology

From French commencement; analyzable as commence + -ment.

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فاتِحَة (fātiḥa) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Armenian: սկիզբ (skizb) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Bulgarian: наче́ване (načévane) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Bulgarian: поде́мане (podémane) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Catalan: començament — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Dutch: aanvang — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Finnish: alku — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Finnish: aloitus — an act of commencing or beginning
  • French: commencement — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Hindi: प्रारंभ (prārambh) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Hindi: आरंभ (ārambh) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Italian: inizio — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Italian: cominciamento — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Malay: pembukaan — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Malay: permulaan — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Māori: ōrokotīmatanga — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Māori: tīmatanga — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Māori: atinga — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Plautdietsch: Aunfank — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Polish: rozpoczęcie — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Portuguese: começo — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Portuguese: início — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Russian: нача́ло (načálo) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Sanskrit: आद (āda) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Sanskrit: आरम्भ (ārambha) — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Spanish: inicio — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Spanish: incoación — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Spanish: comienzo — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Spanish: comenzamiento — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Vietnamese: bắt đầu — an act of commencing or beginning
  • Bulgarian: дипломи́ране (diplomírane) — day degrees are conferred
  • Finnish: valmistumispäivä — day degrees are conferred
  • Indonesian: wisuda — day degrees are conferred
  • Italian: giorno della consegna diplomi — day degrees are conferred
  • Malay: konvokesyen — day degrees are conferred
  • Malay: hari konvo — day degrees are conferred
  • Polish: dzień rozdania dyplomów — day degrees are conferred
  • Bulgarian: дипломи́ране (diplomírane) — graduation ceremony
  • Chinese Mandarin: 畢業典禮 /毕业典礼 (bìyè diǎnlǐ) — graduation ceremony
  • Dutch: afsluitceremonie — graduation ceremony
  • Finnish: valmistujaisseremonia — graduation ceremony
  • Finnish: promootio — graduation ceremony
  • Finnish: valmistujaiset — graduation ceremony
  • Indonesian: wisuda — graduation ceremony
  • Italian: cerimonia di graduazione — graduation ceremony
  • Italian: cerimonia di consegna diplomi — graduation ceremony
  • Japanese: 卒業式 — graduation ceremony
  • Malay: majlis konvokesyen — graduation ceremony
  • Malay: istiadat konvokesyen — graduation ceremony
  • Malay: upacara konvokesyen — graduation ceremony
  • Malay: majlis penyampaian ijazah — graduation ceremony
  • Malay: majlis graduasi — graduation ceremony
  • Polish: ceremonia rozdania dyplomów — graduation ceremony
  • Portuguese: formatura — graduation ceremony
  • Vietnamese: lễ tốt nghiệp — graduation ceremony
  • Vietnamese: lễ ra trường — graduation ceremony
Real reading context

commencement in complete knowledge articles