rendezvous
Americannoun
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an agreement between two or more persons to meet at a certain time and place.
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the meeting itself.
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a place designated for a meeting or assembling, especially of troops or ships.
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a meeting of two or more spacecraft in outer space.
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a favorite or popular gathering place.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a meeting or appointment to meet at a specified time and place
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a place where people meet
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an arranged meeting of two spacecraft
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has rendezvousedperfect 3rd person singular
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have rendezvousedperfect
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are rendezvousingprogressive
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have been rendezvousingperfect progressive
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am rendezvousingprogressive 1st person singular
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is rendezvousingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been rendezvousingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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rendezvoussingular 3rd person
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rendezvousingparticiple
Past
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had rendezvousedperfect
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had been rendezvousingperfect progressive
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rendezvousedparticiple
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rendezvousedsimple
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were rendezvousingprogressive plural
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was rendezvousingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of rendezvous
1585–95; < Middle French, noun use of rendez-vous (imperative) present or betake yourselves; see render 1
Explanation
Rendezvous is a very French way to say "meeting" or "date." So go ahead and call your next dentist appointment or lunch date with friends a rendezvous. In the 1590s, rendezvous meant “a place for assembling of troops.” And you'll still hear military tacticians talking about "rendezvous points" today. But more often we use rendezvous to describe an assembling of friends, an appointment, or a date with your secret lover. If you're feeling extra Frenchy, you can use rendezvous as a verb, as in "Let's rendezvous next Saturday at the mall."
Vocabulary lists containing rendezvous
The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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Hamilton
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"Of Plymouth Plantation," Vocabulary from the historical account
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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.
That is where it will rendezvous and dock with the prototype lunar landers, called pathfinders.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Zambada has said that he agreed to rendezvous with Guzmán outside Culiacán, the Sinaloa state capital, because he had been told that Rocha Moya would be there.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
The stranger, however, arrived at the rendezvous accompanied by undercover police officers, who arrested the man.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026
City hall, the slave market, and town pillory were all there, and the wharf on the East River “made it a rendezvous for pirates,” writes Sobol.
From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026
It would soon be dark and she could keep her rendezvous with the mouse Abbot at the old stump.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
