symposium

noun

sym·​po·​sium sim-ˈpō-zē-əm 

 also  -zh(ē-)əm

plural symposia sim-ˈpō-zē-ə 

-zh(ē-)ə

or symposiums

1

a

: a convivial party (as after a banquet in ancient Greece) with music and conversation

b

: a social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas

2

a

: a formal meeting at which several specialists deliver short addresses on a topic or on related topics compare colloquium

b

: a collection of opinions on a subject

especially : one published by a periodical

c

: discussion

Did you know?

When you hear the word symposium, you may—quite understandably—envision conferences full of intellectuals giving heady presentations on various arcana. But it was drinking, more than thinking, that drew people to the original symposia and gave us the word. Symposium (symposia or symposiums in plural form) comes from the Greek noun symposion, the word ancient Greeks used for a drinking party that follows a banquet. Symposion in turn comes from sympinein, a verb that combines pinein, meaning “to drink,” with the prefix syn-, meaning “together.” Originally, English speakers only used symposium to refer to such an ancient Greek party, but in the 18th century British gentlemen’s clubs started using the word for confabs in which conversation was fueled by drinking. By the end of the 18th century, symposium had gained the more sober sense we know today, referring to meetings in which the focus is more on imbibing ideas and less on imbibing, say, mead.

Synonyms of symposium

• seminar
• conference
• panel

Examples of symposium in a Sentence

Professors and graduate students attended the symposium.

recently attended a daylong symposium on new methods of chromatography

Recent Examples on the Web

The organization is based in Del Mar, but UC San Diego in La Jolla is a host university for the symposium. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025

The symposium occurred just weeks after an authority no less than Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, acknowledged Gen Z is having an especially hard time in the economy of 2025. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025

International collaboration Efforts to collaborate internationally on artificial signals culminated in 1971 with a symposium, again at Byurakan. —Gabriela Radulescu, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2025

Detroit Mercy Law to review shipwreck's legal impact The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law will host a special law review symposium on the Fitzgerald shipwreck's 50th anniversary addressing the legal aspect of fatal shipwrecks. —Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek symposion, from sympinein to drink together, from syn- + pinein to drink — more at potable

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for symposium

• dysprosium

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Kids Definition

symposium

noun

sym·​po·​sium sim-ˈpō-zē-əm 

 also  -zh(ē-)əm

plural symposia -zē-ə 

-zh(ē-)ə

or symposiums

1

: a group meeting at which there are several speeches and often a group discussion

2

: a collection of opinions on a subject

Etymology

from earlier symposium "a social gathering at which there is a free exchange of ideas," from Latin symposium "a party with much drinking and conversation," derived from Greek sympinein "to drink together," from syn- "together with" and pinein "to drink" — related to synonymous