prorogue

verb

pro·​rogue prə-ˈrōg How to pronounce prorogue (audio)
prorogued; proroguing

transitive verb

1
2
: to terminate a session of (something, such as a British parliament) by royal prerogative

intransitive verb

: to suspend or end a legislative session

Examples of prorogue in a Sentence

the legislative session was prorogued for the summer
Recent Examples on the Web His functions as head of state include meeting weekly with the prime minister to consult, warn, and advise on issues of the day, giving royal assent to new laws, and opening and proroguing Parliament. David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024 But creating one requires some parliamentary machination: The speaker of the House must first engineer a disagreement with McConnell over adjourning, at which time the president can intervene, under the Presidential Adjournment Clause in the Constitution, to prorogue Congress and force a recess. Sam Adler-Bell, The New Republic, 15 Nov. 2020 Decency would have driven a leader to bow out after the very first COVID fine, so would lying to the Queen to prorogue parliament, or accepting Tory donor cash to refurbish his No.10 apartment. Marina Purkiss, Fortune, 27 May 2022 In a separate legal challenge brought by lawyers of 75 anti-Brexit lawmakers, a judge temporarily rejected calls to to block Johnson’s decision of proroguing parliament on Friday. Julia Webster, Time, 30 Aug. 2019 See all Example Sentences for prorogue 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prorogue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prorogen, from Anglo-French proroger, from Latin prorogare, from pro- before + rogare to ask — more at pro-, right

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prorogue was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near prorogue

Cite this Entry

“Prorogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prorogue. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!