Synonyms

adjourn

American

[uh-jurn] / əˈdʒɜrn /

verb (used with object)

to suspend the meeting of (a club, legislature, committee, etc.) to a future time, another place, or indefinitely.

At this point in the trial, the judge adjourned the court session so the defense could access and review the test results.
to defer or postpone to a later time.

Too many board members would have been absent, so the chair adjourned the meeting to next Monday.
to defer or postpone (a matter) to a future meeting of the same body, or to a future time, specified or not specified.

We will adjourn discussion of point 5.2 to our April meeting.

verb (used without object)

to postpone, suspend, or transfer proceedings.
to go to another place.

After dinner the ladies adjourned to the parlor.

adjourn British

/ əˈdʒɜːn /

verb

(intr) (of a court, etc) to close at the end of a session
to postpone or be postponed, esp temporarily or to another place
(tr) to put off (a problem, discussion, etc) for later consideration; defer
informal (intr)
1. to move elsewhere
  
  let's adjourn to the kitchen
2. to stop work

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Present

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Etymology

Origin of adjourn

1300–50; Middle English ajo ( u ) rnen < Middle French ajo ( u ) rner, equivalent to a- ad- + jorn- < Latin diurnus daily; see journal, journey

Explanation

To adjourn is to close a session of something, like at court. People also adjourn when they go to bed. When something is adjourned, it's over. This word comes up most often in court. Lawyers and citizens don't have the power to adjourn — to call a recess in the proceedings. Only a judge can adjourn the court. This can also be used in any situation where someone is withdrawing from somewhere, or retiring for awhile. "I must adjourn!" is a fancy way of saying "I'm out of here! I need to get some sleep. See you tomorrow."

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Vocabulary lists containing adjourn

The Constitution of the United States

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Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States

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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.

Both houses will adjourn for summer recess, the House on July 24 and the Senate on Aug. 10.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026

Mr Justice Rooney said the best option was to adjourn the inquest until August or September to allow all members of the jury to participate in the process until it concludes.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

Before we adjourn, a final question: What will next year’s healthcare roundtable focus on?

From Barron's • Sep. 26, 2025

They all agreed that they would get rid of this hot potato, adjourn quickly and go home for the holidays.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2024

“The Court will adjourn for one hour and reconvene at one o’clock,” the judge said.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023