adjourn

American  

[uh-jurn] / əˈdʒɜrn /

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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verb (used without object)

1. to postpone, suspend, or transfer proceedings.

2. to go to another place.

   After dinner the ladies adjourned to the parlor.

adjourn British  

/ əˈdʒɜːn /

verb

1. (intr) (of a court, etc) to close at the end of a session

2. to postpone or be postponed, esp temporarily or to another place

3. (tr) to put off (a problem, discussion, etc) for later consideration; defer

4. informal (intr)

   1. to move elsewhere

      let's adjourn to the kitchen

   2. to stop work

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Other Word Forms

• adjournment
  noun
• preadjourn
  verb
• readjourn
  verb

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."

Example Sentences

After a morning workout or class at Equinox in Georgetown, I’d come home, turn on my kettle and steep my favorite local tea, Adjourn Teahouse, a local Black- and woman-owned brand.

From Washington Post • May 30, 2022

Adjourn it sine die till we can see what can be done for you.'

From Philistia by Allen, Grant

Adjourn, both in Great Britain and this country, is applied to all cases in which such bodies separate for a brief period, with a view to meet again.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

Adjourn when you like; it's all one to me.

From The Kellys and the O'Kellys by Trollope, Anthony

To Fix the Time to which the Assembly shall Adjourn.

From Robert's Rules of Order Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies by Robert, Henry M.

Related Words

• defer
• delay
• discontinue
• postpone
• put off
• recess
• shelve
• suspend