begin, commence, start, initiate, inaugurate, usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation. begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable.

COMMENCE definition: to begin; start. See examples of commence used in a sentence.

(Definition of commence from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

commence verb To go about the initial step in doing (something): To come into being: To begin to appear or develop:

When something commences or you commence it, it begins. The academic year commences at the beginning of October.

com•mence /kəˈmɛns/ v., -menced, -menc•ing. to begin; start: [no object] Let the festivities commence. [~ + object] We can commence the meeting. [~ + verb-ing] Commence firing! [~ + to + verb] He …

Dec 26, 2025 · commence (third-person singular simple present commences, present participle commencing, simple past and past participle commenced) (intransitive) To begin, start. quotations