symposium
Americannoun
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a meeting or conference for the discussion of some subject, especially a meeting at which several speakers talk on or discuss a topic before an audience.
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a collection of opinions expressed or articles contributed by several persons on a given subject or topic.
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an account of a discussion meeting or of the conversation at it.
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(in ancient Greece and Rome) a convivial meeting, usually following a dinner, for drinking and intellectual conversation.
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(initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato, dealing with ideal love and the vision of absolute beauty.
noun
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a conference or meeting for the discussion of some subject, esp an academic topic or social problem
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a collection of scholarly contributions, usually published together, on a given subject
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(in classical Greece) a drinking party with intellectual conversation, music, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of symposium
1580–90; < Latin < Greek sympósion drinking party, equivalent to sym- sym- + po- (variant stem of pī́nein to drink) + -sion noun suffix
Explanation
A symposium is a public meeting about a topic in which people give presentations. If your knitting club holds a symposium, various knitters will give presentations about anything having to do with knitting. A symposium can be a one-time conference or a regular meeting, but it will probably include some amount of discussion or public speeches on a particular subject. Many people who attend symposiums will be part of the audience for many of the presentations, but during the course of the event, give their own presentation or be part of a panel discussion.
Vocabulary lists containing symposium
Ancient Greece - Introductory
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3
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Ancient Greece - Middle School and High School
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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.
The relationship between Mr. Giuliani and the institute “traces to a specific moment,” Mr. Salam says—“our March 1992 symposium at the Roosevelt Hotel called ‘Rethinking New York.’
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Fed officials making comments include governor Stephen Miran speaking at a financial system symposium at 6:20 p.m.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
Yin is also organizing a symposium on the Ithaca campus scheduled for March 3-5, 2026.
From Science Daily • Dec. 24, 2025
The event, which has been held in parliament in the past and is billed by the FPOe as a "symposium", drew criticism from Austria's Jewish community and major political parties.
From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025
In our writing symposium, entitled “Fighting Intolerance,” we solicited help from some of our literary idols.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
