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

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Present

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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

Macron would also soon convene a video meeting of G7 leaders "to make progress on the various levers that can be used to address the rising fuel prices... including coordination on releasing reserves."

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

In the US legal system, prosecutors convene grand juries to weigh evidence and testimony and eventually vote on whether they merit criminal charges.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Hope is rising for diplomatic progress on the Middle East as world leaders convene for the U.N.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

The two sides will convene for two days, Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

“We should convene in a week’s time,” she says.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Warsh this week presided over his second meeting of the 12-person Federal Open Market Committee, which convenes in Washington eight times a year to determine where to set interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Gay will have three more Championship matches to further press his case before England's hierarchy convenes to pick their squad for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand on 4 June.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

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

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026

A combined house majority of MPs will elect the president after parliament convenes in March.

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

I’ll have to catch him later, when our team convenes.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

She convened representatives of six platforms for a meeting in the presence of interior and justice ministry officials.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

Radev convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday and said he had summoned Russian envoy Eleonora Mitrofanova.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

When they convened for a joint video interview in late September, Heaton had recently returned to his London home from a music video shoot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

The group has convened meetings since 2021, quietly advancing practical economic and other cooperation among Abraham Accords states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The next Sunday, when Dad convened the second meeting of the Council, we sat self-consciously around the table, biding our time.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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

Access to one of the world’s richest men, with his deep-pocketed foundation and unmatched convening power in global health, would have lent Epstein the legitimacy he was seeking after his 2008 conviction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

It didn’t take long before everyone in our building was knocking on each other’s doors and convening out on the balcony, standing around stunned and shaking with fear.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

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