recess
Americannoun
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temporary withdrawal or cessation from the usual work or activity.
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a period of such withdrawal.
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a receding part or space, as a bay or alcove in a room.
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an indentation in a line or extent of coast, hills, forest, etc.
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recesses, a secluded or inner area or part.
in the recesses of the palace.
verb (used with object)
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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)
noun
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a space, such as a niche or alcove, set back or indented
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(often plural) a secluded or secret place
recesses of the mind
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a cessation of business, such as the closure of Parliament during a vacation
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anatomy a small cavity or depression in a bodily organ, part, or structure
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a break between classes at a school
verb
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(tr) to place or set (something) in a recess
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(tr) to build a recess or recesses in (a wall, building, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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recesssimple
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recessessimple
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have recessedperfect
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has recessedperfect
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am recessingprogressive
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are recessingprogressive
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is recessingprogressive
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have been recessingperfect progressive
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has been recessingperfect progressive
Past
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recessedsimple
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had recessedperfect
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was recessingprogressive
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were recessingprogressive
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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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myPerspectives 10.1
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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 administration says it has provided new language and remains in talks with the senators, leaving open the possibility of rescheduling the vote before the Senate's August recess.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
“If Clarity takes an August recess, it could be reconsidered in September. But we think its chances would decline meaningfully,” Capital Alpha’s Katz said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
But any extension is unlikely before September because the House of Representatives has already left Washington for its summer recess.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The Senate was in recess, so Bushfield instead handled constituent services from North Dakota.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
We were in different classes, but all the kindergarteners had recess together.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“We’ve been at 40% odds of passage this year. That’s trending downward, and we will likely reduce our odds to 25%-30% if the Senate recesses Aug. 7 without passing Clarity.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Once hidden in the dark recesses of the web, this content is now easy to find.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
Norton and his pickup are part of a $4 billion investment by Amazon to push its signature speedy delivery further into the rural recesses of the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
Deep within the murky recesses of the shadow fleet also lurks a category experts have dubbed "zombie ships" - vessels which steal the identity of dead ships in order to hide their true identity.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
But when she did, something caught her eye—a glimpse of something pale, something white, glowing in the dark recesses under the couch.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
The remaining bedrooms boast recessed lighting, mirrored closets, and private outdoor spaces.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
About 8 p.m., the board recessed for the day and resumed deliberations at 12:30 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
Even with the rush of midday customers, there were still plenty of plush seats, ottomans, and warm-wood high-tops available, all wrapped up in recessed lighting and festive New York City holiday-themed decor.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 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
August stops in front of a recessed wooden door.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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
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
Lawmakers are set to return to Washington after recessing in observance of the Rosh Hashanah.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2022
The fourth operation is that of recessing the bushing, and the fifth operation, facing the end to remove the rough surface left by the cutting-off tool.
From Turning and Boring A specialized treatise for machinists, students in the industrial and engineering schools, and apprentices, on turning and boring methods, etc. by Jones, Franklin D.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
