convene

play

verb con·vene \ kən-ˈvēn \

Definition of convene

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.

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convener

or convenor play \kən-ˈvē-nər\ noun

See convene defined for English-language learners

See convene defined for kids

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 of convene from the Web

As a key transit point on the route, Libya is expected to be a focus of the discussions convened by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

— sylvie corbet, The Seattle Times, "European, African leaders meet in Paris for migration talks," 28 Aug. 2017
On Monday, Sept. 11, golfers of all skill levels will convene on the greens at Pechanga Resort and Casino’s Journey at Pechanga, the award winning 72-par 18-hole golf course.

— nicole miller-coleman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Good things for Oak Grove Center," 20 Aug. 2017
Teenagers from 157 nations convened from July 16 to July 18 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C for The FIRST Global Challenge robotics competition.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "6 Burundian Teens Disappeared after a Robotics Competition," 21 July 2017
Nearly 100% of voters rejected a plan by the president, Nicolás Maduro, to convene a constituent assembly to rewrite the constitution.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 20 July 2017
OSTP also provides a source of people to be at the table during discussions convened by other White House bodies.

— jeffrey mervis, Science | AAAS, "Q&A: Former Obama science adviser John Holdren on the White House science office and Trump’s science policy," 12 July 2017
Over the weekend, Sanders will convene protests in Kentucky and West Virginia, where the Vermont senator plans to call on his Republican colleague Shelley Moore Capito to oppose her party’s bill.

— clare foran, The Atlantic, "Can Liberal Activists Keep Attention on the Republican Health-Care Bill?," 6 July 2017
Economic adviser Gary Cohn and other officials on the National Economic Council have convened several meetings with him to explain differences between the House and Senate bills.

— julie pace, The Seattle Times, "GOP ponders whether Trump helps sell health care," 29 June 2017
Its release comes as the Justice Department convenes a meeting on Thursday with local law enforcement officials and experts to discuss hate crimes, including a lack of solid data on the problem nationwide.

— Bloomberg.com, "More Than Half of Hate Crimes in U.S. Go Unreported: Report," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'convene.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of convene

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

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First Known Use: 15th century

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convene Synonyms

Synonyms

assemble, call, convoke, muster, summon

Antonyms

break up, disband, disperse, split (up)

Related Words

rally; call in, call out, call up, knell; amass, collect, gather, group, round up; reassemble, reconvene

Near Antonyms

break up, dissolve

Synonym Discussion of 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

CONVENE Defined for English Language Learners

convene

play

verb

Definition of convene for English Language Learners

: to come together in a group for a meeting

CONVENE Defined for Kids

convene

play

verb con·vene \ kən-ˈvēn \

Definition of convene for Students

convened; convening

:to come or bring together as an assembly

The legislature convened on Tuesday.

The teacher convened the class.

Word Root of convene

The Latin word venīre, meaning “to come,” and its form ventus give us the roots ven and vent. Words from the Latin venīre have something to do with coming. To invent is to come up with a new idea or device that no one has thought of before. To convene is to come together for a purpose. An event is an occasion when many people come together.