symposium

American  

[sim-poh-zee-uhm] / sɪmˈpoʊ zi əm /

noun

• symposiums,
  plural
• symposia
  plural

1. a meeting or conference for the discussion of some subject, especially a meeting at which several speakers talk on or discuss a topic before an audience.

2. a collection of opinions expressed or articles contributed by several persons on a given subject or topic.

3. an account of a discussion meeting or of the conversation at it.

4. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a convivial meeting, usually following a dinner, for drinking and intellectual conversation.

5. (initial capital letter, italics) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato, dealing with ideal love and the vision of absolute beauty.

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symposium British  

/ sɪmˈpəʊzɪəm /

noun

1. a conference or meeting for the discussion of some subject, esp an academic topic or social problem

2. a collection of scholarly contributions, usually published together, on a given subject

3. (in classical Greece) a drinking party with intellectual conversation, music, etc

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• symposia
  plural
• symposiums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of symposium

1580–90; < Latin < Greek sympósion drinking party, equivalent to sym- sym- + po- (variant stem of pī́nein to drink) + -sion noun suffix

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Explanation

A symposium is a public meeting about a topic in which people give presentations. If your knitting club holds a symposium, various knitters will give presentations about anything having to do with knitting. A symposium can be a one-time conference or a regular meeting, but it will probably include some amount of discussion or public speeches on a particular subject. Many people who attend symposiums will be part of the audience for many of the presentations, but during the course of the event, give their own presentation or be part of a panel discussion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

symposium symposia symposiums

The conference had already selected the presentation for its presidential symposium, a slot reserved for medical studies that have the potential to change the standard of care.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026

The Washington Free Beacon and New York Post were among the outlets that criticized the symposium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

But in a highly anticipated speech at the Jackson Hole symposium of central bankers and economists in Wyoming, he left traders with few doubts that he was ready to increase borrowing costs.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

On Friday, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh spoke at the annual Jackson Hole, Wyo., economic symposium, and opened the door to an interest-rate hike at the Fed’s next meeting in September, saying inflation is a concern.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026

Unlike the previous day, Monty was across town participating in a symposium at the Pasteur Institute.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Maria Eriksdotter has participated as a consultant in one-off meetings with BioArctic AB, Roche, Eli Lilly, Biogen/Eisai and Novo Nordisk, and has given lectures at symposia sponsored by Roche and BioArctic/Eisai.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

The public-facing work of the organization, like its panel discussions, debates, and academic symposia, can seem unobjectionable.

From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2022

The settlement includes $5,000 reserved in the provost’s office to pay for meeting expenses, events and symposia sponsored by the Carolina Black Caucus per year through June 2025, according to Hannah-Jones.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 19, 2022

With this April 15 marking the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking baseball's color line, Major League Baseball will celebrate the occasion with great fanfare – with tributes, movies, TV specials, museum exhibits and symposia.

From Salon ● May 14, 2022

“We talked about physics,” Oppenheimer recalled, recognizing that Ernest’s intellectual interests were narrower than his own and that he might not be especially receptive to wide-ranging symposia on Eastern philosophy and Western art.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Over the next few months, the coauthors will present their research at symposiums and conferences around the U.S., where they’ll receive feedback and engage in discussions with fellow researchers.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2024

With the goal of meeting other women my age, I began attending book signings, workshops or menopause symposiums solo so that I would be forced to work through my social anxiety and make conversation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024

“We are gods,” a colleague insists to Cross in one of several midnight symposiums on ethics and existentialism.

From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2024

Premier Li Qiang in March declared China open for business again, and since then provinces and cities from Sichuan to Chaozhou have sent delegations across the globe to pitch and invited investors to rare symposiums.

From Reuters ● Jul. 24, 2023

We arrange symposiums and processions around them and shout at them and march up and down before them.

From The Lost Art of Reading by Gerald Stanley Lee

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Related Words

• convention
• discussion
• forum
• meeting
• panel discussion
• round table
• seminar

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