joint session

American  

noun

1. a joint meeting, as of both houses of a bicameral legislature.

   The president addressed a joint session of Congress on the crisis in Central America.

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Etymology

Origin of joint session

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Example Sentences

The only precedent for an address by a British monarch was 35 years ago, when Queen Elizabeth II addressed a joint session of Congress in 1991.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

Also on the schedule are an address to a joint session of Congress, a visit to the 9/11 memorial in New York and a meeting with Wall Street tech titans.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

“Prices are plummeting downward,” the president told the American public and a joint session of Congress during his marathon State of the Union address.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 3, 2026

Some 20 players from the men's team were feted in the Oval Office at the White House and again at Trump's speech before a joint session of Congress.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

I wore a sleeveless aubergine dress to Barack’s address to the joint session of Congress and a sleeveless black sheath dress for my official White House photo, and suddenly my arms were making headlines.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama