conclave
noun
con·clave
ˈkän-ˌklāv 
1
: a private meeting or secret assembly
especially
: a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope
The conclave elected the new pope on the fifth ballot.
2
: a gathering of a group or association
the annual conclave of newspaper publishers
Did you know?
Conclave comes from a Latin word meaning "room that can be locked up" (from the Latin com-, "together," and clavis, "key"). The English conclave formerly had the same meaning, but that use is now obsolete. Today, conclave refers not to the locked rooms but to the private meetings and secret assemblies that occur within them. The meaning of conclave has also expanded to include gatherings that are not necessarily secret or private but simply involve people with shared interests.
Examples of conclave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nor did the image go unnoticed by the cardinals who had started gathering in Rome ahead of the conclave set for May 7 – the election process that would decide the new pontiff.
—
Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
The break was long and torturous for fans but clearly restorative for Styles, who lolled in the Italian countryside with Alessandro Michele, bonded with a new niece, and found himself unassumingly among the masses in the Vatican when the conclave elected Pope Leo XIV last June.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2026
Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who was also seen as a favourite going into the election, only ever received fewer than 10 votes in the conclave.
—Reuters, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
Deschenes is 25 years old and, by his own account, knows next to nothing about the papal conclave.
—Zoë Bernard, Vanity Fair, 11 Feb. 2026
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Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
The break was long and torturous for fans but clearly restorative for Styles, who lolled in the Italian countryside with Alessandro Michele, bonded with a new niece, and found himself unassumingly among the masses in the Vatican when the conclave elected Pope Leo XIV last June.
—Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 6 Mar. 2026
Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who was also seen as a favourite going into the election, only ever received fewer than 10 votes in the conclave.
—Reuters, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
Deschenes is 25 years old and, by his own account, knows next to nothing about the papal conclave.
—Zoë Bernard, Vanity Fair, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for conclave
Cite this Entry
“Conclave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conclave. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conclave
noun
con·clave
ˈkän-ˌklāv
: a private or secret meeting or assembly
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