Synonyms

convene

American

[kuhn-veen] / kənˈvin /

verb (used without object)

to come together or assemble, usually for some public purpose.

Synonyms:

gather, collect, meet, congregate

verb (used with object)

to cause to assemble; convoke.
to summon to appear, as before a judicial officer.

convene British

/ kənˈviːn /

verb

to gather, call together, or summon, esp for a formal meeting
(tr) to order to appear before a court of law, judge, tribunal, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

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Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of convene

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin convenīre to come together, equivalent to con- con- + venīre to come

Explanation

The verb convene is a somewhat formal way of saying "to bring together for the purpose of a meeting." Convene is one of those words that lend an air of formality to a situation. We use it in place of the words "call a meeting" for such situations as government assemblages, court hearings, and conferences. Its meaning can be easily seen in its history — it comes from the Latin con-, which means "together," and the verb venīre, "to come." Imagine, if the syllables had just fit the music, the Beatles song "Come Together," might have been called "Convene."

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Vocabulary lists containing convene

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 16–19

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com-, con-

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This Week in Words: April 14 - 20, 2018

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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:

convene convenes convened convening

Bruna Subashi, an energetic woman in her 40s, asked to convene in a luridly pink dessert parlor on Vlore’s waterfront called Big Scoop.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Porter’s family recently asked Hochman to convene a grand jury to hear the facts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

“National leaders should convene economists, technologists, labor experts, business leaders and workers themselves regularly to identify where existing institutions are failing and what new authorities may be needed,” he continued.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Well in advance of the looming 2032 deadline, Congress and the administration should convene a bipartisan commission to produce balanced proposals for stabilizing the system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

He probably would have eaten more, but Reyna announced that the senate would now convene in the city, and all the folks in togas got up to leave.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

The WSJ CFO & COO Council convenes the world’s top financial leaders so they can gain perspective on navigating market uncertainty, aligning priorities and making decisions that deliver measurable results.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Boro remain in a state of limbo until the independent disciplinary commission convenes.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

On Thursdays, he convenes an interagency discussion of the latest threats.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026

So it’s a given that the next time the group convenes, the Rams coach will have a specific situation and rule to discuss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025

Jackson is outraged, orders a court-martial which never convenes.

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara

Nepali police say they have convened a 10-member committee to look into these online comments.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

But it wasn’t until it convened an expert advisory committee in 2024 that it entered development.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Immigration attorneys and other advocates quickly convened Thursday to determine how the ruling will affect immigrants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Upon taking over from Tavares in 2025, Filosa convened a series of strategy meetings at U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., just outside Detroit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

At two that afternoon an informal meeting convened in Rael’s General Store.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Fidelity, meanwhile, has built popular subreddits around its investment and crypto offerings by convening general finance discussions and publishing guides and tips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Organisers at Kathmandu University, which was convening the August 23-29 event, said they were told to withdraw from hosting it.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

But “The Real Food Show” cannot recommend a salad dressing without first convening a tribunal.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

A duo for the ages is convening once again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Whenever the Parliament clashed with their monarch, the king would get his way by suddenly convening Parliament in a remote, unreachable part of the country.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023