ren·dez·vous
ˈrän-di-ˌvü 
-dā-
plural rendezvous
ˈrän-di-ˌvüz
-dā-
1
: a meeting at an appointed place and time
… a rendezvous of about 60 cavers … united in a common purpose.—
David Roberts
David Roberts
often
: one that is secret
a romantic rendezvous
The strangers meet surreptitiously on dark streets, using … the Internet to set up the late-night rendezvous. —April Castro
April Castro 2
a
: a place appointed for assembling or meeting
… the Allied army slogged toward its next rendezvous.—Mark Kurlansky
Mark Kurlansky
b
: a place where many people go to spend time : haunt
Locals … sorely miss the tree-lined mall, which was a popular rendezvous.—Elisabeth Dunham
Elisabeth Dunham3
: the process of bringing two spacecraft together
… last July's rendezvous between the space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian Mir space station …—Fred Guterl
Fred Guterl
ren·dez·vous
ˈrän-di-ˌvü
-dā-
rendezvoused
ˈrän-di-ˌvüd
-dā-
; rendezvousing
ˈrän-di-ˌvü-iŋ
-dā-
; rendezvouses
ˈrän-di-ˌvüz
-dā-
1
vt/vi
: to meet or come together for a rendezvous
The cousins will rendezvous in New York before they fly to London.
It was the first spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet.—Michael Daly
Michael Daly2
vt
: to meet with for a rendezvous
… every day they have a scrub, the opportunity to rendezvous the space station becomes 22.5 minutes earlier.—Miles O'Brien, speaking on CNN Live
Miles O'Brien, speaking on CNN Live3
vt
: to bring together for a rendezvous
… the ability of ground control to rendezvous two orbiting spacecraft.—Edward D. Flinn
Edward D. FlinnExamples of rendezvous in a Sentence
Noun
But last July's rendezvous between the space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian Mir space station took place in a brand-new climate: the cold war is over, and budgets on both sides of the world are tight.
—Fred Guterl, Discover, January 1996
The hokeyness and childlike innocence of the scene … were endearing, in a Lost Boys sort of way, and I strolled over to the student-activities center for my rendezvous with my cadet informant thinking that The Citadel's version of martial culture was not so menacing after all.
—Susan Faludi, New Yorker, 5 Sept. 1994
Although roadside retreats have long been the haunt of individuals seeking discreet settings for an afternoon or evening rendezvous, the adult motel advertises and caters to a specific clientele.
—William Wyckoff, Geographical Review, July 1992
I was delighted to witness a rendezvous of about 60 cavers, who had come from as far as California, New York and even Switzerland, united in a common purpose.
—David Roberts, Smithsonian, November 1988
He left the car at Thirteenth Street, and might easily call at this hotel. It is a general rendezvous for visitors to the city.
—Horatio Alger, The Errand Boy, 1888
He was late for their rendezvous.
The restaurant will be our rendezvous.
Verb
Despite a stuck antenna, the Galileo spacecraft successfully rendezvoused with the asteroid Gaspra last October, coming within 1,000 miles and snapping 150 photos for NASA's scrapbook.
—Linda Shiner, Air & Space Smithsonian, February/March 1992
Grabbing an extra suit of clothes and leaving the rest of his possessions on board with instructions to rendezvous the next day, he and his companions set off.
—Ross E. Dunn, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, 1986
His two ships were separated in the fog, but rendezvoused according to plan in Dusky Bay in southwest New Zealand to pass the southern winter.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
The cousins rendezvoused in New York before they flew to London.
we'll rendezvous at the entrance to the park at 6:00 p.m.
Fred Guterl, Discover, January 1996
The hokeyness and childlike innocence of the scene … were endearing, in a Lost Boys sort of way, and I strolled over to the student-activities center for my rendezvous with my cadet informant thinking that The Citadel's version of martial culture was not so menacing after all.
—Susan Faludi, New Yorker, 5 Sept. 1994
Although roadside retreats have long been the haunt of individuals seeking discreet settings for an afternoon or evening rendezvous, the adult motel advertises and caters to a specific clientele.
—William Wyckoff, Geographical Review, July 1992
I was delighted to witness a rendezvous of about 60 cavers, who had come from as far as California, New York and even Switzerland, united in a common purpose.
—David Roberts, Smithsonian, November 1988
He left the car at Thirteenth Street, and might easily call at this hotel. It is a general rendezvous for visitors to the city.
—Horatio Alger, The Errand Boy, 1888
He was late for their rendezvous.
The restaurant will be our rendezvous.
Verb
Despite a stuck antenna, the Galileo spacecraft successfully rendezvoused with the asteroid Gaspra last October, coming within 1,000 miles and snapping 150 photos for NASA's scrapbook.
—Linda Shiner, Air & Space Smithsonian, February/March 1992
Grabbing an extra suit of clothes and leaving the rest of his possessions on board with instructions to rendezvous the next day, he and his companions set off.
—Ross E. Dunn, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, 1986
His two ships were separated in the fog, but rendezvoused according to plan in Dusky Bay in southwest New Zealand to pass the southern winter.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
The cousins rendezvoused in New York before they flew to London.
we'll rendezvous at the entrance to the park at 6:00 p.m.
Recent Examples on the Web
Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
The life of a Domingo girl consists of vacations and secret rendezvous.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2025
Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
The Orion capsule would rendezvous with the Starship in orbit around the moon and transfer two astronauts.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rendezvous
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
On Tuesday, Hulu announced that the hit series starring Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin was renewed for a sixth season, and that after five chapters in New York (plus a rendezvous in California for Season Four), the next mystery would unravel in London.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2025
The life of a Domingo girl consists of vacations and secret rendezvous.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
Ros and his team specialize in shuttling clients by air, over the notoriously nauseating Drake Passage, to rendezvous with a waiting expedition vessel.
—Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
The Orion capsule would rendezvous with the Starship in orbit around the moon and transfer two astronauts.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rendezvous
Cite this Entry
“Rendezvous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rendezvous. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rendezvous
1 of 2 noun
ren·dez·vous
ˈrän-di-ˌvü
-dā-
plural rendezvous
-ˌvüz
1
a
: a place agreed on for assembling or meeting
b
: a place that many people visit
2
: a planned meeting
rendezvous
2 of 2 verb
rendezvoused
-ˌvüd
; rendezvousing
-ˌvü-iŋ
; rendezvouses
-ˌvüz
: to come or bring together at a rendezvous
Etymology
Noun
early French rendezvous "a place to meet," from the phrase rendez vous "present yourself"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share