1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

convention

noun

kən-ˈven(t)-shən How to pronounce convention (audio)
Definition of conventionnext
1
as in meeting
a coming together of a number of persons for a specified purpose attended a convention of mathematicians in California

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in treaty
a formal agreement between two or more nations or peoples an international convention banning the spread of nuclear weapons

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in agreement
an arrangement about action to be taken the Geneva Convention details proper treatment of prisoners of war

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in tradition
an inherited or established way of thinking, feeling, or doing the bride decided to follow convention and to have her father give her away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of convention The event comes on the heels of the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas this week, which Whatley attended. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2026 The interview came at the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas ahead of November's midterm election, in which the GOP is defending its slim majorities in both chambers of Congress. — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 The goals of this convention were less assimilationist than those of its predecessor. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026 Vance had the marquee speaking slot, but Trump reclaimed the stage immediately afterward for his second speech in a two-night convention. — Averi Harper, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for convention
Recent Examples of Synonyms for convention
  1. meeting
  2. treaty
  3. agreement
  4. tradition
  5. gathering
  6. pact
  7. rule
  8. values
Noun
  • Those of us among the audience are, by implication, among the meeting’s attendees, and our engagement with Ireland’s play, under Maria Dizzia’s direction, has a certain active power.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Two years ago, quantum technology and AI came up in separate meetings, on separate slides, championed by different people in the room.
    — Dax Grant, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of meeting
Noun
  • On Wednesday, von der Leyen proposed making Canada the EU's first associate member -- a status that does not currently exist in the bloc's treaties and would have to be created.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Associate membership doesn't currently exist as a formal category under EU treaties, and any such arrangement would need to be created and ratified by member states.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of treaty
Noun
  • After a group of civil rights groups sued Cooper’s gubernatorial administration in 2020 over COVID-19 infection risks, a North Carolina Superior Court judge ordered the two sides to reach an agreement.
    — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Under the new agreement, Google will receive environmental attribute certificates (EACs) from a portion (up to 91,000 metric tons) of the steel produced in Stegra’s first year of production.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of agreement
Noun
  • The Capricorn Moon squares Mercury in your sign, making family expectations, tradition, or someone else’s opinion feel louder than usual.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Per tradition, most of the buzz around the ceremony is heady anticipation for the announcement of the People’s Choice Award winner.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of tradition
Noun
  • However, the event was targeted on social media by accounts like Libs of TikTok, which characterized the gathering as a drag show meant to groom children while funding undocumented immigrants.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But the gathering took on new meaning in the revelation's wake, as much of Washington scrambles to come to terms with a technology that has evolved rapidly and for which little regulation exists.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of gathering
Noun
  • Turkey and Pakistan, with whom Riyadh signed a much-vaunted defence pact last month, aren’t rushing to help the Saudis out.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 20 Sep. 2026
  • And few analysts expect Turkey and Pakistan, which also recently signed a joint-defense pact with the Saudis, to commit troops to Yemen.
    — Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of pact
Noun
  • Their sweeping measure, announced earlier this month, would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence and temporarily pause advanced AI development until federal safety rules are established.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Started by linebacker Jordyn Brooks, the three-takeaway rule has transformed into a weekly gauge in how the defense performs.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of rule
Noun
  • One of you may value freedom while the other values predictability.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • As baseball owners prepare for a lockout, in a push for the salary cap that would drive franchise values higher, insiders anticipate the MLB expansion fee could settle around or even above the $4 billion range.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of values

Browse Nearby Words

conventicles
convention
conventional
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Convention.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/convention. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on convention

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about convention

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All