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

Netanyahu convened security consultations over the incident and cleared the remainder of his schedule to manage the crisis, according to Reuters. — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

One of the efforts my organization is spearheading locally is a partnership with a local nonprofit, the Healthcare Foundation of Orange County, to convene healthcare funders, hospitals and the County of Orange Social Services Agency (SSA). — Taryn Palumbo, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Cornell convened a task force that issued a report on the incident in March 2026 and acknowledged the lawsuit last week. — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

This past Thursday, the family’s legal team convened another news conference to discuss the findings from Wells’s cell phone. — Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 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
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between
• bromine

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