convene

verb

con·​vene kən-ˈvēn 

convened; convening

intransitive verb

: to come together in a body

We convened at the hotel for a seminar.

transitive verb

1

: to summon before a tribunal

2

: to cause to assemble

A world council was convened in Paris.

convener noun

or convenor

kən-ˈvē-nər 

Synonyms of convene

• summon
• muster
• call

Choose the Right Synonym for convene

summon, call, cite, convoke, convene, muster mean to demand the presence of.

summon implies the exercise of authority.

was summoned to answer charges

call may be used less formally for summon.

called the legislature into special session

cite implies a summoning to court usually to answer a charge.

cited for drunken driving

convoke implies a summons to assemble for deliberative or legislative purposes.

convoked a Vatican council

convene is somewhat less formal than convoke.

convened the students

muster suggests a calling up of a number of things that form a group in order that they may be exhibited, displayed, or utilized as a whole.

mustered the troops

Examples of convene in a Sentence

We convened at the hotel for a seminar.

This class convenes twice a week.

A panel of investigators was convened by the president to review the case.

Recent Examples on the Web

On the ninety-first day of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty, a group of five truly young New Yorkers convened in a physics classroom at the Bronx High School of Science—Mamdani’s alma mater—to discuss his time in office so far. —Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026

The report comes just before the North Carolina General Assembly convenes for a short legislative session. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

Every 10 years, the National Academies convene a panel of planetary scientists to set priorities for Solar System exploration. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026

Ahead of the reunion’s premiere, Colletti and Conrad, both 40, and Cavallari, 39, convened for a lengthy interview with The Times at a beachfront hotel restaurant in Santa Monica. —Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin convenire, from Latin, to assemble — more at convenient

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for convene

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

convene

verb

con·​vene kən-ˈvēn 

convened; convening

1

: to come together in a group : assemble

2

: to cause to convene : call together

convened a meeting