Commence
[kə'mens] or [kə'mɛns]
Definition
(v. i.) To have a beginning or origin; to originate; to start; to begin.
(v. i.) To begin to be, or to act as.
(v. i.) To take a degree at a university.
(v. t.) To enter upon; to begin; to perform the first act of.
Editor: Myra
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. n. [1]. Begin, originate, take rise.[2]. Take the first step, make a beginning, break ground, break the ice.
v. a. Begin, institute, originate, enter upon, set about, set on foot, set in operation.
Inputed by George
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Begin, start, open, initiate, inaugurate, enter_upon, set_about, undertake
ANT:Finish, terminate, conclude, consummate, complete
Inputed by Elisabeth
Definition
v.i. to begin: to originate: to take rise.—v.t. to begin: to originate: to enter upon: to take a university degree—e.g. 'to commence M.A.'—n. Commence′ment the beginning: at certain universities the act of taking the degrees: the ceremony when these are conferred.
Editor: Warren
Examples
- And when will you commence the exercise of your function? Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- The movement of troops from the Army of the James will commence on the night of the 27th instant. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- Every time I attempted to start, my new horse would commence to kick. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- He was eager to commence. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- We passed a few sad hours, until eleven o'clock, when the trial was to commence. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
- He would then commence his purchases, paying for each article separately, as he got it. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- And if the Maria kisses thee again I will commence kissing thee myself. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- And then commenced a train of thought quite new to me. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Princess of Mars.
- I started in to make a number of these lamps, but I soon found that the X-ray had affected poisonously my assistant, Mr. Dally, so that his hair came out and his flesh commenced to ulcerate. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- The parts being thus distributed to the leaders, they commenced the first assault, of which the reader has already heard the issue. Walter Scott. Ivanhoe.
- You heard the report and then the shriek commenced almost instantly. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- He was dined at the H?tel de Ville, given the Legion of Honor, and money was subscribed for a monument to mark the place near Calais where he commenced his flight. Rupert S. Holland. Historic Inventions.
- In a moment they saw him, and then me; but scarcely had they discovered me than I commenced firing, lying flat upon my belly in the moss. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Princess of Mars.
- And with that I commenced to bend him back across my knee and tighten my grip upon his throat. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- That will be the best way of commencing the enquiry, and will probably lead to the fairest conclusion. Plato. The Republic.
- I hesitated; of the formula of confession I was ignorant: instead of commencing, then, with the prelude usual, I said:--Mon père, je suis Protestante. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- This was abusing their power and commencing a tyranny. Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
- His curiosity was therefore satisfied, and putting on his spectacles he prepared himself to watch the play which was just commencing. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- At that moment I noticed that the black I had dropped with my fist was commencing to show signs of returning consciousness. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Was not hair commencing to grow upon his face? Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- When commencing the game his intention had been nothing further than a bitter practical joke on Mrs. Yeobright. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- The idea cannot be put aside, and with such poor aids as he can command he commences his task. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
- At this period, the termination of an animal's love for its offspring,--the true affection of the human parent commences. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- If not already directed, require your men to keep three days' rations in their haversacks, not to be touched until a movement commences. Ulysses S. Grant. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant.
- In this locality the rubber harvest commences as soon as the Amazon falls which is usually about the first of August. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- Tis not wi' _them_ 't commences. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- In the joking commences a rottenness. Hemingway, Ernest. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
- So commences the new philosophy! Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
Checker: Myrna