1
as in began
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 started
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 commenced
The split commenced a contentious court battle in which the former model requested $175,057 in child support payments, a $45,000 increase from a tentative payment order, during a two-day Santa Barbara court hearing in August, according to People.
—
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
Thus commenced an awkward situation in which the next Rutgers president would inherit an athletic director who had just been hired by his predecessor.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Initial trial retrievals of fuel debris from Unit 2 have already commenced.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
An investigation into the fire and a search for Gard — which included searching the acres of cornfields around her residence — commenced shortly after.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
Standing in for the franchise’s original hometown of Fernfield is Fort Langley, British Columbia, where production recently commenced.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Israel then commenced a military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
As the speed rounds commenced, Meri first met with a man named Lee.
—Dory Jackson, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Building on the site commenced in the 13th century under the instruction of Ibn al-Ahmar, the first member of the Nasrid family to be emir of Granada, and the sprawling compound was used by the emirs until Isabella and Ferdinand conquered the city in 1492.
—Fiona Mozley, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
Thus commenced an awkward situation in which the next Rutgers president would inherit an athletic director who had just been hired by his predecessor.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Initial trial retrievals of fuel debris from Unit 2 have already commenced.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2025
An investigation into the fire and a search for Gard — which included searching the acres of cornfields around her residence — commenced shortly after.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
Standing in for the franchise’s original hometown of Fernfield is Fort Langley, British Columbia, where production recently commenced.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Israel then commenced a military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
As the speed rounds commenced, Meri first met with a man named Lee.
—Dory Jackson, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Building on the site commenced in the 13th century under the instruction of Ibn al-Ahmar, the first member of the Nasrid family to be emir of Granada, and the sprawling compound was used by the emirs until Isabella and Ferdinand conquered the city in 1492.
—Fiona Mozley, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commenced
Verb
-
Many Federal Aviation Administration facilities are so critically short on controllers that just a few absences can cause disruptions, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that more air traffic controllers have been calling in sick since the shutdown began.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
That is when the gruelling road back to fitness began.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Team-mates who had started the match were entitled to a greater share of the blame.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
In 1977, Rosalynn Carter started the tradition of the office of the first lady being located in the wing, alongside the social secretary.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The outing comes just hours after the Duchess of Sussex launched her first holiday collection for As ever, which includes special nods to Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
In May 2024, Duchovny launched Fail Better, a podcast produced by Lemonada Media that explores failure in all its forms — from the professional to the personal — and the ways in which failure, shame, and falling short shape our lives.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The myth originated during World War II when Londoners sheltering from German warplanes in subway stations had to endure bites from mosquitoes.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The hypothesis is that the object that has recently been ripped apart by the white dwarf could have originated from this debris disk of material that survived the death of the star.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The performance opened with a black and white sequence, before partner Emma Slater joined him for a dramatic choreography.—
Brianne Tracy,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
In 2014, the CCP opened the space sector to private capital, and in 2019 the China Commercial Space Alliance was launched to support that commercial growth both within China and globally.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Controversy arose earlier this year after residents, a council member and the mayor declared a cooling station set up for homeless residents and others without adequate heating and cooling as unacceptable.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Wise told the Statesman by phone that the arrest arose from an argument with his then-wife.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her writing has also appeared in leading publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Nation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
-
But when Ronnie set the theater's copy of The Music Man in motion on the projector, Matty appeared on screen holding what looked like a baby swaddled in a blanket.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As in years past, there was plenty of heated debate, some clever campaigning on social media, a last-minute push for votes from A-list significant others and a few races that were neck-and-neck right up until the last ballot was cast.—
Alex Apatoff,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
-
In backrooms, there was none of the surveillance tech that reputable casinos use to catch players cheating.—
Rob Wile,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commenced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commenced. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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