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.
See Examples For:
UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday he would convene new talks on ending the half-century-old Cyprus conflict, inviting leaders on the divided island and its three guarantor powers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Then, 601 total delegates—including 101 from the state party’s governing body—will convene on July 25 to vote on a nominee.
From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026
A serious effort would convene the relevant experts to map the scenarios and build response infrastructure before the capability hits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
But on Wednesday the prime minister will convene around a dozen leaders to discuss the new missile programme.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“We should convene in a week’s time,” she says.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Gay will have three more Championship matches to further press his case before England's hierarchy convenes to pick their squad for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand on 4 June.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
On Thursdays, he convenes an interagency discussion of the latest threats.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026
It convenes heads of state, defense ministers, intelligence chiefs and senior military leaders who decide when to impose sanctions, use force, and tolerate escalation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
So it’s a given that the next time the group convenes, the Rams coach will have a specific situation and rule to discuss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
I’ll have to catch him later, when our team convenes.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
The American Security Foundation convened an assembly of leaders and scholars at the Vatican, where we signed a Joint Statement on AI Ethics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
A compelling model comes from the burgeoning global movement of citizens’ assemblies — deliberative bodies in which a randomly selected, representative cross-section of the public is convened to consider complex policy questions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Following Khomeini's death on June 3, 1989, the Assembly of Experts clerical body convened an emergency session and named Khamenei interim leader.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Wales' health minister convened a healthcare summit last month to "prevent this from happening again"
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
It convened in the summer of 1934 with left-wing writers attending from all states.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
A duo for the ages is convening once again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
A former Oklahoma congressman named Dave McCurdy said that Muslim fundamentalists had been convening in the area.
From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026
A widely respected Israeli news outlet tonight described Netanyahu convening a security cabinet meeting with just five minutes notice, shortly before the ceasefire announcement was made.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
He typically makes 28 stops along the way, convening with hundreds of restaurant managers for hourlong question-and-answer sessions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
After convening, the first order of business for the assembly would be to elect a president.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
