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; 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

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

From Barron's • Sep. 26, 2025

It will then adjourn until 8 September, with the first phase of the inquiry expected to run until the end of the year.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 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

He then made a motion to adjourn the meeting, without further comment.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2024

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

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Related Words

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