adjourn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
adjourns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adjourned,
past participle, past
-
adjourning
present participle
-
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.
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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.
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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)
-
adjourns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adjourned,
past participle, past
-
adjourning
present participle
-
to postpone, suspend, or transfer proceedings.
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to go to another place.
After dinner the ladies adjourned to the parlor.
verb
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(intr) (of a court, etc) to close at the end of a session
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to postpone or be postponed, esp temporarily or to another place
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(tr) to put off (a problem, discussion, etc) for later consideration; defer
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informal (intr)
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to move elsewhere
let's adjourn to the kitchen
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to stop work
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
adjournsimple
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adjournssimple
-
have adjournedperfect
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has adjournedperfect
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am adjourningprogressive
-
are adjourningprogressive
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is adjourningprogressive
-
have been adjourningperfect progressive
-
has been adjourningperfect progressive
Past
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adjournedsimple
-
had adjournedperfect
-
was adjourningprogressive
-
were adjourningprogressive
-
had been adjourningperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing adjourn
The Constitution of the United States
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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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.
See Examples For:
A spokesperson for the PPO said it would publish the findings of its inquiry following the conclusion of an inquest into his death, which is due to open and adjourn on Tuesday.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
One juror suffers from blackouts, which means that everyone can adjourn to the bar earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Before we adjourn, a final question: What will next year’s healthcare roundtable focus on?
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2025
Gaetz resigned in the current session of Congress, which does not officially adjourn until Jan. 2, 2025.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024
Woodhull then grabbed the podium, shouted out a motion to adjourn, and urged everyone to go to the Apollo Hall the next morning for a meeting of a new political party.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
According to the Associated Press, the deal outlines a plan for the Senate to vote to confirm 13 more district court judges before the upper chamber adjourns in December.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024
The proposal can’t continue in the Senate unless enough signatures are committed to pass it by the time the Housing Committee adjourns Wednesday, when an official “cutoff” deadline hits.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
Industry lobbyists are reportedly negotiating with lawmakers, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office toward a deal that would be unveiled in the last weeks before the Legislature adjourns on Sept. 14.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2023
The next two weeks could prove critical, before Parliament adjourns at the end of July for a long summer recess.
From New York Times ● Jul. 16, 2023
As Coin adjourns the meeting, Haymitch asks her if he can speak to me privately.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
The court adjourned until August 27 to check whether the tests "correspond to Diego Armando Maradona or someone else," presiding judge Alberto Gaig said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The members adjourned without a vote to continue negotiations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Parliament was adjourned on Tuesday after the opposition benches demanded a discussion on the alleged "brutality unleashed on students".
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Inside parliament, meanwhile, the opening day of the monsoon session was repeatedly adjourned as opposition MPs protested over the alleged paper leak and other issues.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Before we adjourned our meeting, a history student at the university stood up.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
"By adjourning the sentencing until after that election... the Court would reduce, even if not eliminate, issues regarding the integrity of any future proceedings," reads the Aug. 14 letter.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2024
Before adjourning for a break, the judge made it clear that he felt unconvinced by the arguments.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024
On Wednesday evening, senators were mired in negotiations over the revised bill before adjourning until Thursday.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff on Wednesday denied defense motions to dismiss the charges against the officers before adjourning for the week.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
Before adjourning, the chairman encouraged her to invite “the ladies of the land” to form their own anti-slavery societies.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
