convene

1 of 2

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 

convener

2 of 2

noun

con·​ven·​er kən-ˈvē-nər 

variants or convenor

kən-ˈvē-nər, 

-ˌnȯr

plural -s

chiefly British

: one that convenes

especially : the presiding officer of a committee or other organized body of persons

Synonyms of convene

Verb

• 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

Verb

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

Verb

Earlier Thursday, Missouri's top court convened a hearing on whether to hold Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt for not following its orders to use the districts passed after the last census. — David A. Lieb, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026

The school could argue that the conference hastily convened the vote, perhaps in violation of bylaws or conference customs, and in doing so jeopardized its contracts with coaches, sponsors, media and licensing partners, and others. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 Sep. 2026

The Republican National Committee convenes its first-ever midterm election convention on Wednesday in Dallas. — Patrice Onwuka, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026

Jointly presented by France and the Republic of Korea and convened under the co-chairship of their respective presidents, the declaration sets out 15 principles and remains open for further signatures. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

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