verb
- Take the first step or steps in carrying out an action.
- usage: "We began working at dawn"; "Who will start"; "Get working as soon as the sun rises"; "The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia"; "He began early in the day"; "Let's get down to work now"
- Set in motion, cause to start.
- usage: "The U. S. Started a war in the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a new chapter in your life"
- Get off the ground.
- usage: "Who started this company"; "We embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started when the partisans launched a surprise attack"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). commence. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/commence/definitions/1327032 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "commence" http://smartdefine.org/commence/definitions/1327032 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, commence, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/commence/definitions/1327032>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "commence" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/commence/definitions/1327032> |