recess
Americannoun
-
recesses
plural
-
temporary withdrawal or cessation from the usual work or activity.
-
a period of such withdrawal.
-
a receding part or space, as a bay or alcove in a room.
-
an indentation in a line or extent of coast, hills, forest, etc.
-
recesses, a secluded or inner area or part.
in the recesses of the palace.
verb (used with object)
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recesses,
present (3rd person singular)
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recessed,
past participle, past
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recessing
present participle
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to place or set in a recess.
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to set or form as or like a recess; make a recess or recesses in.
to recess a wall.
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to suspend or defer for a recess.
to recess the Senate.
verb (used without object)
-
recesses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recessed,
past participle, past
-
recessing
present participle
noun
-
a space, such as a niche or alcove, set back or indented
-
(often plural) a secluded or secret place
recesses of the mind
-
a cessation of business, such as the closure of Parliament during a vacation
-
anatomy a small cavity or depression in a bodily organ, part, or structure
-
a break between classes at a school
verb
-
(tr) to place or set (something) in a recess
-
(tr) to build a recess or recesses in (a wall, building, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recesssimple
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recessessimple
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have recessedperfect
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has recessedperfect
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am recessingprogressive
-
are recessingprogressive
-
is recessingprogressive
-
have been recessingperfect progressive
-
has been recessingperfect progressive
Past
-
recessedsimple
-
had recessedperfect
-
was recessingprogressive
-
were recessingprogressive
-
had been recessingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recess
1510–20; < Latin recessus a withdrawal, receding part, equivalent to recēd ( ere ) to recede 1 + -tus suffix of v. action, with dt > ss
Explanation
Recess is a break from doing something, like work or school. Almost everyone looks forward to taking a recess — even if you don't have access to monkey bars. Recess comes from the Latin word recessus, meaning "a going back, retreat." You may have heard children talking about recess as their favorite part of school. This meaning of the word refers to the break in a school day for children to play, usually outside in a playground. As a verb, recess means to take a break at the end of a session — usually in a court proceeding: "The judge announced the court would recess until the following day."
Vocabulary lists containing recess
Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Frindle
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"Rules of the Game" (from The Joy Luck Club) by Amy Tan
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Legislature is in recess and the 120 members of the state Senate and Assembly are in their districts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives, which is already in recess until after Election Day, leaving a narrow window for Congress to complete work before a new legislature takes office in January.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Senate had left for August recess without a vote on the bill when the president called top crypto executives, including Armstrong, to a meeting at the White House that was streamed online.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The issue was raised at Holyrood in June by the Scottish Greens at the final First Minister's Questions before the summer recess.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
During recess, I always envied all the other kids who could climb to the top of the jungle gym.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
“Childhood Marissa spent recesses in the library buried in books about ancient Egypt,” Roy said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
She burrowed deep in the recesses of the early Obama administration, welding together the voluminous Affordable Care Act.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Two bookshelves added in recesses on either side of our bed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
In the dark recesses of the U.S. economy, price pressures are bubbling up and foretelling another wave of inflation.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
There were different trees, too—more conifers at low levels and many more birches—and scattered through the undergrowth were large, rounded black boulders, like sleeping animals, which lent the still recesses a certain eerieness.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
And if you look at Hoffa and you look at Jack, I’m not sure exactly what they did up top because it accentuated — Jimmy, his eyes were a little recessed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The unit is located on the 10th floor and features a large living room with light-wood walls, recessed lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a private balcony.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025
At the halfway point, it would’ve saved everyone time had the court just huddled, announced its decision from the bench, and recessed early for lunch.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
The subtle highs and lows create ridges, which sear, and recessed pockets that promote airflow and deter sticking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Two hours later, court was recessed for the day because proper loudspeakers had not been found.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
The Court has about a dozen cases left on its docket to get through before recessing for the summer.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The House and the Senate are set to take their last votes today before recessing for the year.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Mr. Schumer said the Senate was recessing to “give our Republican colleagues the night to figure themselves out.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
After voting down a drug ordinance in June, and then pledging something to replace that defeated plan, the council is recessing for the rest of August on Friday.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
This difficulty may be overcome by recessing the wheel face, as in Fig.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Joshua Rose
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