What does commence mean?
"Commence" is a formal verb meaning to begin — to start an action, event, process, or period of time. When a ceremony commences, it begins; when hostilities commence, fighting breaks out; when construction commences, work gets underway. The word carries a distinctly elevated, official register that sets it apart from its everyday synonyms "begin" and "start": you might tell a friend the movie started, but a university announces that commencement exercises will commence at a stated hour. This formality makes "commence" a fixture of legal language, military commands, institutional announcements, and ceremonial speech, where precision and gravity matter. It derives ultimately from Latin "initium," meaning "a beginning" — the same root behind "initial," "initiate," and "initiative." Its noun form, "commencement," is especially familiar to Americans as the name of a graduation ceremony, fittingly marking both the end of study and the beginning of what follows.
verbTo begin; to start or set in motion an action, process, event, or undertaking.
- To begin or start an action, event, process, or period of time.
"The ceremony will commence at noon sharp."
"The graduation ceremony will commence at ten o'clock."
"Construction on the new bridge is scheduled to commence in the spring."
'Commence' and 'begin' mean the same thing — but only one of them sounds like a judge, a general, or a graduation speech.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of commence
English borrowed "commence" from Old French "comencier" in the late Middle Ages, with the word well established by the early modern period. The Old French verb descends from a Vulgar Latin compound built on Latin "initium," meaning "beginning" — the same root that gives us "initial," "initiate," and "initiative." The prefix "com-" served an intensifying function rather than changing the core sense of beginning. The derivative "commencement" followed naturally into English, eventually becoming the traditional American term for a graduation ceremony.
Related word forms
How commence is actually used
"Commence" is markedly formal. In everyday conversation English speakers almost always say "start" or "begin"; "commence" belongs to legal documents, official announcements, military orders, ceremonies, and business correspondence. Using it casually can sound stiff, pompous, or humorous by contrast.
Easily confused with commence
Commerce means the trade or buying and selling of goods, while commence is a verb meaning to begin something; they look and sound similar but are entirely different words.