convene
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to cause to assemble; convoke.
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to summon to appear, as before a judicial officer.
verb
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to gather, call together, or summon, esp for a formal meeting
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(tr) to order to appear before a court of law, judge, tribunal, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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convenernoun
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convenornoun
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reconveneverb
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convenableadjective
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unconvenableadjective
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unconvenedadjective
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unconveningadjective
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convenablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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convenesimple
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convenessimple
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have convenedperfect
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has convenedperfect
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am conveningprogressive
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are conveningprogressive
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is conveningprogressive
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have been conveningperfect progressive
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has been conveningperfect progressive
Past
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convenedsimple
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had convenedperfect
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was conveningprogressive
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were conveningprogressive
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had been conveningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of convene
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin convenīre to come together, equivalent to con- con- + venīre to come
Explanation
The verb convene is a somewhat formal way of saying "to bring together for the purpose of a meeting." Convene is one of those words that lend an air of formality to a situation. We use it in place of the words "call a meeting" for such situations as government assemblages, court hearings, and conferences. Its meaning can be easily seen in its history — it comes from the Latin con-, which means "together," and the verb venīre, "to come." Imagine, if the syllables had just fit the music, the Beatles song "Come Together," might have been called "Convene."
Vocabulary lists containing convene
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19
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com-, con-
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This Week in Words: April 14 - 20, 2018
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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.
Convene a conference on European security, to include consideration of Russian interests and concerns.
From Slate • Feb. 13, 2022
The real estate start-ups Knotel and Convene have laid off or furloughed half of their workers.
From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2020
At the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Los Angeles, Convene sends up breakfast every morning for about 200 workers at the headquarters of the financial firm Oaktree Capital Management.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2019
Convene a family outing to go and heckle.
From The Guardian • Dec. 23, 2018
Convene, which means "to come together," should not be confused with convoke which means "to bring or call together."
From Word Study and English Grammar A Primer of Information about Words, Their Relations and Their Uses by Hamilton, Frederick W. (Frederick William)
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.
