adjourn
Americanverb (used with object)
-
adjourns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adjourned,
past participle, past
-
adjourning
present participle
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
adjourns,
present (3rd person singular)
-
adjourned,
past participle, past
-
adjourning
present participle
-
to postpone, suspend, or transfer proceedings.
-
to go to another place.
After dinner the ladies adjourned to the parlor.
verb
-
(intr) (of a court, etc) to close at the end of a session
-
to postpone or be postponed, esp temporarily or to another place
-
(tr) to put off (a problem, discussion, etc) for later consideration; defer
-
informal (intr)
-
to move elsewhere
let's adjourn to the kitchen
-
to stop work
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
adjournsimple
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adjournssimple
-
have adjournedperfect
-
has adjournedperfect
-
am adjourningprogressive
-
are adjourningprogressive
-
is adjourningprogressive
-
have been adjourningperfect progressive
-
has been adjourningperfect progressive
Past
-
adjournedsimple
-
had adjournedperfect
-
was adjourningprogressive
-
were adjourningprogressive
-
had been adjourningperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing adjourn
The Constitution of the United States
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Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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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:
One juror suffers from blackouts, which means that everyone can adjourn to the bar earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Before we adjourn, a final question: What will next year’s healthcare roundtable focus on?
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2025
They all agreed that they would get rid of this hot potato, adjourn quickly and go home for the holidays.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2024
Senior Coroner Nigel Parsley told the short hearing he would adjourn the inquests until 15 April, 2024.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2024
I resolved that if he acted in that finger-wagging fashion with me I would have to inform him that I found such behavior unacceptable, and I would then stand up and adjourn the meeting.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
According to the Associated Press, the deal outlines a plan for the Senate to vote to confirm 13 more district court judges before the upper chamber adjourns in December.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2024
Industry lobbyists are reportedly negotiating with lawmakers, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office toward a deal that would be unveiled in the last weeks before the Legislature adjourns on Sept. 14.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2023
When she returns empty-handed, the Senate adjourns, leaving hundreds of bills, stored in a growing stack of blue and yellow folders, untouched.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2023
Mr. McCarthy wants to pass the bill before Congress adjourns at the end of April.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 19, 2023
As Coin adjourns the meeting, Haymitch asks her if he can speak to me privately.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
The inquest was adjourned until the test on the liver sample has been carried out.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The inquest was adjourned until 18 March 2027.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
An emergency hearing took place at Belfast High Court on Saturday, but it was adjourned until Monday.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Judge William Sullivan adjourned the hearing until November 2 and raised the possibility of setting a new trial date depending on how he rules on the defense's motion.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
The very day after the Geneva meeting adjourned, Eisenhower proposed that negotiations begin on October 31.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Assistant coroner Sophie Cartwright KC apologised to Cusack's family for the delay before adjourning the hearing until 7 December, to allow Sheffield United to search for documents linked to her medical records.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The countries that voted in favour of adjourning the talks included Russia, Saudi Arabia and the US.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025
"By adjourning the sentencing until after that election... the Court would reduce, even if not eliminate, issues regarding the integrity of any future proceedings," reads the Aug. 14 letter.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2024
Judge Juan M. Merchan announced the scheduling change just before adjourning court on Thursday.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Before adjourning, the chairman encouraged her to invite “the ladies of the land” to form their own anti-slavery societies.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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