prorogue
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to discontinue a session of (the British Parliament or a similar body).
- Synonyms:
- suspend
-
to defer or postpone, or to extend past the end of a term, as a lease or other contract.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prorogue
First recorded in 1375–1425; from late Middle English proroge, from Latin prōrogāre “to prolong, protract, defer,” literally, “to ask publicly,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + rogāre “to ask, propose”
Explanation
Prorogue is a technical way of saying "put off" or "delay." Usually, it describes something a government body does: when a congress or parliament prorogues, it's putting off business for a while. Prorogue comes from the Latin word prorogare meaning "to stretch out." When you stop a meeting and decide to meet again at a later time, this "stretches out" the work being done. Remember that prorogue is close to prolong, which means pretty much the same thing, but without a break.
Vocabulary lists containing prorogue
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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This Week In Words: August 31–September 6, 2019
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 2
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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:
The governor general has a largely ceremonial job performing functions such as swearing in governments and formally signing legislation, but is also the commander-in-chief of the military and can summon, prorogue or dissolve parliament.
From Reuters ● Jul. 6, 2021
And she used withering language to describe the effect of the court’s ruling on the formal order to prorogue.
From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2019
It is just looking at whether the decision to prorogue was justified.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 19, 2019
On Wednesday, Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II to suspend — or prorogue, to use the technical term — Parliament.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 31, 2019
We prorogue on Friday, and have finished all our business to-day, which is a great load off my shoulders.
From Memoirs of the Court and Cabinets of George the Third From the Original Family Documents, Volume 2 by Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Plantagenet Temple Nugent Brydges Chandos Grenville, Duke of
While the Liberal Party holds its internal contest, parliament is prorogued until March 24.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2025
Trudeau said he would stay on in office until his Liberal Party can choose a new leader, and that parliament would be prorogued - or suspended - until 24 March.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2025
Parliament was in session but was prorogued on Monday through a government notification uploaded on its website.
From Reuters ● Jul. 4, 2023
Parliament was formally suspended, or prorogued, on Thursday in a tradition-steeped ceremony involving ermine-draped members of the House of Lords and an official proclaiming “the queen wills it” in Norman French.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2022
Parliament, though summoned for the third of October, will, in all probability, be prorogued till November.”
From Guy Fawkes or The Gunpowder Treason by Ainsworth, William Harrison
One Labour MP attempted to physically restrain the Speaker, John Bercow, from proroguing parliament by lying across him.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 10, 2019
The process, known as proroguing, usually passes without much notice, except for the pompous rituals and antiquarian costumes that accompany it.
From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2019
The official term for shutting down Parliament is "proroguing".
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2019
Johnson claimed that proroguing Parliament was just an efficient way to get the government organized regarding its domestic agenda, such as new plans for the National Health Service and strategies for fighting crime.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 30, 2019
In passing these resolutions parliamentary rules were dispensed with, the members anticipating the proroguing power of the governor, who, on learning their tenor, immediately dissolved the House.
From Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by Judson, L. Carroll
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.
