adjourn

[ uh-jurn ]

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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)

1. to postpone, suspend, or transfer proceedings.
2. to go to another place:

   After dinner the ladies adjourned to the parlor.

adjourn

/ əˈdʒɜːn /

verb

1. intr (of a court, etc) to close at the end of a session
2. to postpone or be postponed, esp temporarily or to another place
3. tr to put off (a problem, discussion, etc) for later consideration; defer
4. informal.
   intr
   1. to move elsewhere

      let's adjourn to the kitchen

   2. to stop work

Derived Forms

• adˈjournment, noun

Other Words From

• pre·ad·journ verb
• re·ad·journ verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjourn¹

1300–50; Middle English ajo ( u ) rnen < Middle French ajo ( u ) rner, equivalent to a- ad- + jorn- < Latin diurnus daily; journal, journey

Word History and Origins

Origin of adjourn¹

C14: from Old French ajourner to defer to an arranged day, from a- to + jour day, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin diurnus daily, from diēs day

Example Sentences

The inquest has been adjourned and is set to resume on 21 May 2025.

From BBC

In his first term, he threatened to adjourn both chambers under a presidential power laid out in the Constitution for “extraordinary occasions.”

From Los Angeles Times

Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said that immediately adjourning the Senate at the new president’s direction would signal a dark day for the country.

From Los Angeles Times

This also marks the second special session since lawmakers adjourned for the year at the end of August.

From Los Angeles Times

An inquest into Ms Webbs' death was opened and adjourned at Gloucestershire Coroner's Court last month.

From BBC

Related Words

• defer
• delay
• discontinue
• postpone
• put off
• recess
• shelve
• suspend