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.
-
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:
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
Before we adjourn, a final question: What will next year’s healthcare roundtable focus on?
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2025
Dr Adeley agreed to adjourn the inquest to trace the witnesses, those who had been with him in the hours before he vanished.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2025
Gaetz resigned in the current session of Congress, which does not officially adjourn until Jan. 2, 2025.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024
But as she was sleepier than any of them—she’d been rubbing her eyes for an hour—she consented to adjourn the meeting.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
There were many legitimate hurdles to the bill passing before the Legislature adjourns in mid-September, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025
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
State Sen. Anna Caballero, the bill’s author, promised to hold a hearing on the issue once the Legislature adjourns.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2023
When she returns empty-handed, the Senate adjourns, leaving hundreds of bills, stored in a growing stack of blue and yellow folders, untouched.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2023
As Coin adjourns the meeting, Haymitch asks her if he can speak to me privately.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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
An inquest into the death of the driver opened in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, and has been adjourned until a later date which has not been fixed yet.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
The Kirk family released a statement shortly after court adjourned.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Court had adjourned; the noises of the departing audience clattered in the corridor beyond the lavatory door.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
She said there was "reasonable cause to suspect" both deaths were unnatural and required a full inquest, adjourning proceedings for further inquiries.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
"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
On Wednesday evening, senators were mired in negotiations over the revised bill before adjourning until Thursday.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
The emergency special session also heard from representatives of Jordan and Iran, among other nations, before adjourning.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 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.
