session

American  

[sesh-uhn] / ˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

• sessions
  plural

1. the sitting together of a court, council, legislature, or the like, for conference or the transaction of business.

   Congress is now in session.

2. a single continuous sitting, or period of sitting, of persons so assembled.

3. a continuous series of sittings or meetings of a court, legislature, or the like.

4. the period or term during which such a series is held.

5. sessions, (in English law) the sittings or a sitting of justices in court, usually to deal with minor offenses, grant licenses, etc.

6. a single continuous course or period of lessons, study, etc., in the work of a day at school.

   Through a mixture of both lectures and lab sessions, you will develop a broad engineering skill base.

7. a portion of the year into which instruction is organized at a college or other educational institution.

   She’s enrolled in a six-week summer session.

8. the governing body of a local Presbyterian church, composed of the pastor who moderates and the elders.

9. a period of time during which a group of persons meets to pursue a particular activity.

   It was the last show before their recording sessions this week where they will produce their first album.

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session British  

/ ˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the meeting of a court, legislature, judicial body, etc, for the execution of its function or the transaction of business

2. a single continuous meeting of such a body

3. a series or period of such meetings

4. education

   1. the time during which classes are held

   2. a school or university term or year

5. Presbyterian Church the judicial and administrative body presiding over a local congregation and consisting of the minister and elders

6. a meeting of a group of musicians to record in a studio

7. a meeting of a group of people to pursue an activity

8. any period devoted to an activity

9. See Court of Session

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session Idioms  

1. see bull session.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presession
  noun
• sessional
  adjective
• sessionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sessions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of session

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sessio(u)n, cessio(u)n, from Anglo-French, Middle French session, from Latin sessiōn- (stem of sessiō ) “sitting, bench, law-court sitting,” equivalent to sess(us) (past participle of sedēre to sit ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A session is a specific block of time dedicated to something. Court may be in session, or school may be in session, or you just might find yourself enjoying a massage therapy session. The noun session also means a meeting of a board or committee to conduct business. The school board, for example, may hold a special session to discuss budget issues. Session can also refer to a gathering of spiritualists at a séance or a meeting with a psychic. You might have a session with a medium who claims she's delivering a message to you from your great-great-grandmother.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

session sessions

Will Smith took part in batting practice Friday and caught a bullpen session.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

At a recent information session hosted by the county, about half of the people who delivered public comments were in favor of keeping the plant open, and half were vehemently opposed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Every now and then, he copy-pasted snippets of Claude’s thoughts into another Claude session to make sense of them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The BBC's Kelly NG joined a training session to see their moves first-hand.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

At this time, on this day, the village court was in session and packed with people, all ready to hear the criminal cases brought before the elders for judgment.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

"I've done eight sessions a week consistently throughout the exam period and not compromised my studies with the support of my teachers."

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In group sessions, where Cody typically doesn’t say much, the others speak for what Cody might be going through, Greek chorus-style.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

But the technology has drawn away clients from Song's 50,000-won sessions in favour of free or affordable AI readings.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

While U.S. oil prices are down roughly 26% from their wartime highs, they have risen 11% in five sessions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

It is difficult for me to sit still for more than twenty minutes at a stretch, so I used to interrupt my tanning sessions with walks to the pier.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• conference
• discussion
• hearing
• period
• term