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

The Civil Grand Jury is an independent investigatory body convened annually to examine the operations of county and city government, school districts, special districts and other local public agencies. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026

While the legislature convened on opening day last week to hear the details of the second year of the two-year budget, some of the biggest attention went to Lamont’s remarks on the tactics of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. —Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2026

While some sassi have been preserved as museums, others are now inhabited by gelaterias, pottery shops, boutique hotels, and restaurants like Vitantonio Lombardo, where the Orient Express passengers convened for a long lunch. —Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026

At this exclusive, high-energy event, the world’s most innovative leaders will convene to explore how AI, humanity, and strategy converge to redefine, again, the future of work. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Feb. 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