commence

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To begin, start.

   • Here the anthem doth commence:
   • His heaven commences ere the world be past!
   • He commenced dressing at top by donning his beaver hat, a very tall one, by the by, and then—still minus his trowsers—he hunted up his boots.
2. 2

   To begin or start.

   • At dawn we'll commence to drive.
3. 3

   To begin to be, or to act as.

   • […] he furnish’d me with a Gun, Cartouch-box, and Powder-horn, &c. and thus accouter’d I commenc’d Soldier.
   • When we are wearied of the trouble of prosecuting crimes at the bar, we commence judges ourselves […]
4. ›+ 1 more definitionshow fewer

   1. 4

      To take a degree at a university.

      • […] I question whether the Formality of Commencing was used in that Age: inclining rather to the negative, that such Distinction of Graduates was then unknown […]
      • […] was admitted a minor fellow of his college 4 Oct. 1591, a major fellow 11 March 1591-2, and commenced M.A. in 1592.

The neighborhood

• synonymbegin
• antonymstopantonym(s) of “to begin”; to stop
• antonymendantonym(s) of “to begin”
• antonymceaseantonym(s) of “to begin”
• antonymfinishantonym(s) of “to begin”; to finish
• antonymconcludeantonym(s) of “to begin”
• antonymcompleteantonym(s) of “to begin”
• neighborcommencement