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

One juror suffers from blackouts, which means that everyone can adjourn to the bar earlier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

In a dramatic conclusion on Friday, when countries should have been voting to approve the deal, Saudi Arabia tabled a motion to adjourn the talks for a year.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2025

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

From Barron's • Sep. 26, 2025

Gaetz resigned in the current session of Congress, which does not officially adjourn until Jan. 2, 2025.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2024

“Now, can we adjourn the Mutual Admiration Society and get back to the topic at hand?”

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

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