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

There was no penalty called on the play, but referees Kendrick Nicholson and Chris Lee convened and decided to give Toropchenko a five-minute major for kneeing and a game misconduct. —Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2025

Emperor Constantine convened the First Council of Nicaea, bringing bishops from across the Roman Empire to resolve a doctrinal crisis over how to explain Jesus' relation to God. —Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 28 Nov. 2025

The landmark council convened in 325 AD in the ancient city of Nicaea, now Iznik, and produced the Nicene Creed, a central statement of Christian belief shared by Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 27 Nov. 2025

This week, the industry is gathering for the second annual Wool Exchange, an event convened by Central Saint Martins and British Wool, the latter an organization that collects, grades and sells wool on behalf of over 30,000 UK sheep farmers (Peregrine is a British Wool licensee). —Kirsty McGregor, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025

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