recess
Americannoun
-
recesses
plural
-
temporary withdrawal or cessation from the usual work or activity.
-
a period of such withdrawal.
-
a receding part or space, as a bay or alcove in a room.
-
an indentation in a line or extent of coast, hills, forest, etc.
-
recesses, a secluded or inner area or part.
in the recesses of the palace.
verb (used with object)
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recesses,
present (3rd person singular)
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recessed,
past participle, past
-
recessing
present participle
-
to place or set in a recess.
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to set or form as or like a recess; make a recess or recesses in.
to recess a wall.
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to suspend or defer for a recess.
to recess the Senate.
verb (used without object)
-
recesses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recessed,
past participle, past
-
recessing
present participle
noun
-
a space, such as a niche or alcove, set back or indented
-
(often plural) a secluded or secret place
recesses of the mind
-
a cessation of business, such as the closure of Parliament during a vacation
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anatomy a small cavity or depression in a bodily organ, part, or structure
-
a break between classes at a school
verb
-
(tr) to place or set (something) in a recess
-
(tr) to build a recess or recesses in (a wall, building, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recesssimple
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recessessimple
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have recessedperfect
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has recessedperfect
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am recessingprogressive
-
are recessingprogressive
-
is recessingprogressive
-
have been recessingperfect progressive
-
has been recessingperfect progressive
Past
-
recessedsimple
-
had recessedperfect
-
was recessingprogressive
-
were recessingprogressive
-
had been recessingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recess
1510–20; < Latin recessus a withdrawal, receding part, equivalent to recēd ( ere ) to recede 1 + -tus suffix of v. action, with dt > ss
Explanation
Recess is a break from doing something, like work or school. Almost everyone looks forward to taking a recess — even if you don't have access to monkey bars. Recess comes from the Latin word recessus, meaning "a going back, retreat." You may have heard children talking about recess as their favorite part of school. This meaning of the word refers to the break in a school day for children to play, usually outside in a playground. As a verb, recess means to take a break at the end of a session — usually in a court proceeding: "The judge announced the court would recess until the following day."
Vocabulary lists containing recess
Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Frindle
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myPerspectives 10.1
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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:
During a recess at the May 21 bond hearing, just eight days after the shooting that had happened outside the same courthouse, I spoke at length with Carolyn Smith, Joshua Fox’s mother.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
She lost her seat at the election but is able to return to Holyrood after the summer recess to fill the Glasgow list MSP vacancy left by Sarwar.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The Senate approved Blanche as lawmakers raced through a roughly 20-hour session before departing Washington for their summer recess.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
After summer recess, the House will have its turn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Usually they played kickball at recess, but Missy wouldn’t stop yakking about Skeleton Woman.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
“We’ve been at 40% odds of passage this year. That’s trending downward, and we will likely reduce our odds to 25%-30% if the Senate recesses Aug. 7 without passing Clarity.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
In the dark recesses of the economy, price pressures are bubbling up and foretelling another wave of inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Once hidden in the dark recesses of the web, this content is now easy to find.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
The hike in recess allowances is meant to match the increased activities by lawmakers during their recesses, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad told reporters on Saturday.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2025
But when she did, something caught her eye—a glimpse of something pale, something white, glowing in the dark recesses under the couch.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
Behind every roof beam is recessed LED lighting, with individual lighting control for every strand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
The unit is located on the 10th floor and features a large living room with light-wood walls, recessed lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a private balcony.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025
At the halfway point, it would’ve saved everyone time had the court just huddled, announced its decision from the bench, and recessed early for lunch.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
And, ingeniously, three ancient Roman pavement-mosaics, recessed, are now visible beneath traversable glass floors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025
August stops in front of a recessed wooden door.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
The Court has about a dozen cases left on its docket to get through before recessing for the summer.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The House and the Senate are set to take their last votes today before recessing for the year.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Mr. Schumer said the Senate was recessing to “give our Republican colleagues the night to figure themselves out.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2024
After voting down a drug ordinance in June, and then pledging something to replace that defeated plan, the council is recessing for the rest of August on Friday.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
The smoke shelf comes immediately above the throat and is formed by recessing the brickwork of the back the full width of the chimney for at least four inches.
From If You're Going to Live in the Country by Frank Lieberman
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.
