What does commenced mean?
Commenced is the past tense of commence, a formal verb meaning to begin. When an event, process, or action has commenced, it has started — the construction work commenced in April, the proceedings commenced after the judge took her seat. The word carries an unmistakably formal register: it thrives in contracts, courtrooms, military dispatches, and official announcements, where plain 'started' might sound too casual. That formality is its defining character. A speaker who says the meeting commenced rather than began signals ceremony, precision, or institutional voice, and the choice can even feel slightly ironic if used about trivial matters — the snacking commenced the moment guests arrived. The noun commencement, meaning a beginning or, especially in American universities, a graduation ceremony, belongs to the same family. For writers, commenced is best reserved for contexts that genuinely warrant elevated diction; used well, it lends gravity and authority to descriptions of beginnings.
verbCommenced is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'commence', meaning to begin or start something.
- To begin or start (an action, process, event, or period).
"The ceremony commenced at noon, precisely as planned."
"The trial commenced on the first Monday of October."
"Negotiations commenced shortly after both parties agreed to the terms."
Swap one letter and you go from starting something ('commenced') to praising it ('commended') — a typo lawyers and students make with alarming regularity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of commenced
Commence entered English in the early 14th century from Old French 'comencier', which itself traces back to Vulgar Latin *cominitiare, built on Latin 'initiare' (to begin), from 'initium' (a beginning) — the same root behind English 'initiate' and 'initial'. The prefix 'com-' here served an intensifying function rather than adding the sense of 'with'. Despite this Latinate pedigree reaching English via French, the word has always been perceived as somewhat formal, a status it has retained for centuries.
Related word forms
How commenced is actually used
Commence and its inflected forms are markedly formal; in everyday speech most speakers say 'started' or 'began'. 'Commenced' is at home in legal documents, official reports, military language, and ceremonial contexts. In American English it can carry a slightly old-fashioned or bureaucratic flavour, though phrases like 'commenced operations' remain standard in business and legal register.
Easily confused with commenced
'Commenced' means to begin, while 'commended' means to praise or recommend — they differ by a single letter but have entirely unrelated meanings.