commence
Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
commence
originate, inaugurate, begin, start: commence the show
Not to be confused with:
comments – remarks; observations, annotations, criticisms: There were harsh comments on the performance.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
com·mence
 (kə-mĕns′)v. com·menced, com·menc·ing, com·menc·es
v.tr.
To begin; start. See Synonyms at begin.
v.intr.
To enter upon or have a beginning; start.
[Middle English commencen, from Old French comencier, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre : Latin com-, intensive pref.; see com- + Late Latin initiāre, to begin (from Latin initium, beginning; see ei- in Indo-European roots).]
com·menc′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
commence
(kəˈmɛns)vb
to start or begin; come or cause to come into being, operation, etc
[C14: from Old French comencer, from Vulgar Latin cominitiÄre (unattested), from Latin com- (intensive) + initiÄre to begin, from initium a beginning]
comˈmencer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
com•mence
(kəˈmɛns)v.i., v.t. -menced, -menc•ing.
to begin; start.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French comencer < Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre= Latin com- com- + initiāre to begin; see initiate]
com•mence′a•ble, adj.
com•menc′er, n.
syn: See begin.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
commence
Past participle: commenced
Gerund: commencing
| Imperative |
|---|
| commence |
| commence |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  commence - take the first step or steps in carrying out an action; "We began working at dawn"; "Who will start?"; "Get working as soon as the sun rises!"; "The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia"; "He began early in the day"; "Let's get down to work now"recommence - begin again; "we recommenced his reading after a short nap" strike out - set out on a course of action; "He struck out on his own" fall - begin vigorously; "The prisoners fell to work right away" jump off - set off quickly, usually with success; "The freshman jumped off to a good start in his math class" get to - arrive at the point of; "She gets to fretting if I stay away from home too long" auspicate - commence in a manner calculated to bring good luck; "They auspicated the trip with a bottle of champagne" attack - set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed" break in - start in a certain activity, enterprise, or role launch, plunge - begin with vigor; "He launched into a long diatribe"; "She plunged into a dangerous adventure" come on - occur or become available; "water or electricity came on again after the earthquake" get moving, get rolling, get started, get weaving, bestir oneself, get cracking, get going - start to be active; "Get cracking, please!" begin - begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language; "She began Russian at an early age"; "We started French in fourth grade" |
| 2. | commence - set in motion, cause to start; "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life" jumpstart, jump-start - start or re-start vigorously; "The Secretary of State intends to jumpstart the Middle East Peace Process" recommence - cause to start anew; "The enemy recommenced hostilities after a few days of quiet" usher in, inaugurate, introduce - be a precursor of; "The fall of the Berlin Wall ushered in the post-Cold War period" set off - set in motion or cause to begin; "The guide set the tour off to a good start" embark on, start up, commence, start - get off the ground; "Who started this company?"; "We embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack" begin - have a beginning, of a temporal event; "WW II began in 1939 when Hitler marched into Poland"; "The company's Asia tour begins next month" | |
| 3. | commence - get off the ground; "Who started this company?"; "We embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack" commence, lead off, start, begin - set in motion, cause to start; "The U.S. started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life" inaugurate, kick off - commence officially open - begin or set in action, of meetings, speeches, recitals, etc.; "He opened the meeting with a long speech" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
commence
verb
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
commence
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَشْرَع٠ÙÙŠØŒ يَبْدأÙ
zahájit
begynde
aloittaa
elkezdelkezdõdik
byrja, hefja
aktasuniversiteto baigimo iškilmės
iesÄktiesÄktiessÄktsÄkties
zaÄÃnaÅ¥
börja
commence
[kəˈmens] (frm)A. VT → comenzar
to commence doing or to do sth → comenzar a hacer algo
to commence proceedings (against sb) (Jur) → entablar demanda (a algn)
to commence doing or to do sth → comenzar a hacer algo
to commence proceedings (against sb) (Jur) → entablar demanda (a algn)
B. VI → comenzar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
commence
[kəˈmɛns] vt (= start) → commencer
to commence doing sth → commencer à faire qch
to commence to do sth → commencer à faire qch
to commence doing sth → commencer à faire qch
to commence to do sth → commencer à faire qch
vi → commencer
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
commence
(form)vi → beginnen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
commence
(kəˈmens) verb to begin. the church service commenced with a hymn.
comˈmencement noun1. beginning.
2. a ceremony at which students receive their diplomas or degrees.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.