convention

American  

[kuhn-ven-shuhn] / kənˈvɛn ʃən /

noun

• conventions
  plural

1. a large formal meeting or assembly, as of members, representatives, or delegates, for discussion of and action on particular matters of common concern.

   In 1932 he was elected president of the Missouri State Medical Association at its annual convention.

2. a large meeting of people with a common interest, as in a particular recreational activity.

   The site is a fan's resource for finding upcoming comic, gaming, and sci-fi conventions throughout the world.

3. U.S. Politics. a representative party assembly to nominate candidates and adopt platforms and party rules.

4. a rule, method, or practice established by usage; custom.

   In Social Studies, the second graders learned the convention of showing north at the top of a map.

5. general agreement or consent; accepted usage, especially as a standard of procedure.

   Certain uses of the comma have become established by convention.

6. accepted practice that has become removed from naturally occurring behavior; conventionalism.

   As young, second-career farmers, they're not bound by convention, and their land isn't a traditional farm.

7. a standard or customary device, structure, premise, style, etc., used in literature, music, or the arts.

   Big eyes and small mouths are among the most noticeable artistic conventions of anime.

   Le Guin’s novelette turned science fiction conventions on their head by making humans the invaders.

8. an agreement, compact, or contract, such as an international agreement dealing with postal service or copyright.

   Synonyms:

   treaty, pact

9. Bridge. any of a variety of established systems or methods of bidding or playing that allows partners to convey certain information about their hands.

---

convention British  

/ kənˈvɛnʃən /

noun

1. 1. a large formal assembly of a group with common interests, such as a political party or trade union

   2. the persons attending such an assembly

2. politics an assembly of delegates of one party to select candidates for office

3. diplomacy an international agreement second only to a treaty in formality

   a telecommunications convention

4. any agreement, compact, or contract

5. the most widely accepted or established view of what is thought to be proper behaviour, good taste, etc

6. an accepted rule, usage, etc

   a convention used by printers

7. Also called: conventional. bridge a bid or play not to be taken at its face value, which one's partner can interpret according to a prearranged bidding system

---

Synonym Usage

Convention, assembly, conference, convocation name meetings for particular purposes. Convention usually suggests a meeting of delegates representing political, church, social, or fraternal organizations. Assembly usually implies a meeting for a settled or customary purpose, as for discussion, legislation, or participation in a social function. Conference suggests a meeting for consultation and discussion about business or professional problems. Convocation denotes a (church) assembly, the members of which have been summoned for a special purpose; chapel services at some colleges are called convocations.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterconvention
  noun
• preconvention
  noun
• unconvention
  noun
• anticonvention
  adjective
• postconvention
  adjective
• proconvention
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conventions
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of convention

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English convencio(u)n “formal meeting,” from Middle French convencion “meeting, agreement, covenant,” and Latin conventiōn- (stem of conventiō ) “assembly, agreement,” literally, “a coming together”; see convene, -tion

---

Explanation

A convention is a meeting, usually of a particular group. Political parties, teachers, plumbers, gardeners, toymakers and computer designers all hold conventions. In fact, lots of cities have built Convention Centers in hopes of attracting convention-goers. The best-known conventions happen every four years when the Democrats and Republicans meet to nominate presidential candidates. A convention can also be used to describe the normal or accepted way of doing things. It's the convention, for example, for your employer to give you a three-day weekend around the Fourth of July, even if it falls on a weekend.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

convention conventions

Astrid Schomaker, executive director of the UN biodiversity convention, told AFP that progress was being made and the 2030 goals were "still reachable -- but only with significant change being made".

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Back in 1986, in Washington DC, protesting teachers lined the streets outside a convention centre.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Ugarte supports the $2.6-billion Convention Center expansion passed by the City Council last year, arguing that the nation’s second-biggest city should have at least the second-best convention center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The firm maintains a policy of not taking board seats—“observers, if we have to,” said Anderson—in a nod to its naming convention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

I would have preferred to sit in the front seat, but Alyssa’s brother called it, and if we don’t adhere to the convention of calling shotgun, what rule of law is left to us?

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

“Hands!” spoofs FX’s “The Bear,” while satirizing TV conventions, like the will-they-won’t-they romantic plotlines, multicamera operation and filming in front of a live studio audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The arias follow the conventions of the period with plenty of coloratura and opportunities to show off, but Mozart’s preternatural ability to create character is already present.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Presidential candidates typically don’t spend much time in the arena at conventions.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

And in the modern technological era, artificial-intelligence models add a new wrinkle to corporate conventions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

They are being too logical, while betraying their lack of familiarity with the conventions of the printed page.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• code
• law
• rule

---