rendezvous

1 of 2

noun

ren·​dez·​vous ˈrän-di-ˌvü How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
-dā-
plural rendezvous ˈrän-di-ˌvüz How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
-dā-
1
a
: a place appointed for assembling or meeting
b
: a place of popular resort : haunt
2
: a meeting at an appointed place and time
3
: the process of bringing two spacecraft together

rendezvous

2 of 2

verb

ren·​dez·​vous ˈrän-di-ˌvü How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
-dā-
rendezvoused ˈrän-di-ˌvüd How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
-dā-
; rendezvousing ˈrän-di-ˌvü-iŋ How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
-dā-
; rendezvouses ˈrän-di-ˌvüz How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
-dā-

intransitive verb

: to meet or come together at a particular time and place : come together for a rendezvous

transitive verb

1
: to bring together at a particular time and place : bring together for a rendezvous
2
: to meet at a rendezvous

Examples 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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In a moment evocative of Swift and Kelce’s backstage rendezvous that set the Internet ablaze in November, Keoghan and Carpenter shared a similarly sweet backstage moment following the third night of the Eras Tour in Singapore on Monday. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 For the rugged rendezvous, there’s Chena Hot Springs which allures for its namesake geothermal, mineral waters in Fairbanks. Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024 The next year, Mr. Navalny aired a 25-minute portrayal of a potentially corrupt association between a top Putin aide and one of Russia’s richest oligarchs, featuring a secret rendezvous on a luxury yacht with a call girl. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 The right companion should understand your need to postpone a rendezvous for the time being. Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024 Had things gone as planned, the spacecraft would have then arced back toward our planet and looped outward a second time for a lunar rendezvous. Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 19 Jan. 2024 And during the couple's rendezvous in New York City that same weekend, Swift rocked a black-on-black 'fit that heralded Reputation's return. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 10 Jan. 2024 Both teams slipped back into the desert night, meeting the navigator at a rendezvous point. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024 But women attending the annual top rendezvous of diplomacy have remained a minority, and the UN General Assembly this year is no different. Stephanie Fillion, CNN, 22 Sep. 2023
Verb
SpaceX must not only demonstrate the capability to fly the vehicle safely, the company must master the ability to transfer and store cryogenic fuel in orbit, so that a Starship can launch into orbit, be refueled, and then fly out to lunar orbit to rendezvous with Orion. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2024 The spacecraft had a tough assignment: It was launched in 2016 for a seven-year voyage to rendezvous with Bennu, orbit the asteroid, collect a sample from its surface and return home. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024 Will rendezvous with a former work colleague from NYC who is a die-hard Bills fan. Sidney Steele, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2024 The landing area is 36 miles by 8.5 miles, and the entire mission has required a very high level of precision — particularly for the spacecraft to rendezvous with the asteroid and collect its sample in 2020. Georgina Torbet, The Verge, 24 Sep. 2023 In the event of trouble on a shuttle mission, crews would rendezvous with the ISS and shelter there for up to 50 days, while the LON shuttle would be made ready to fly to retrieve them. Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 1 Feb. 2023 Captain Pardo knew Captain Aman’s plane would not be able to make it out of North Vietnam to rendezvous with a flying refueling tanker. Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023 That kind of maneuver had to be perfected in order for a lunar module to descend to the moon from an orbiting command ship and later blast off from the lunar surface, then rendezvous and link up with the mother ship for the trip back to Earth. Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Swift, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman rendezvoused at the Oscar winner’s Greenwich Village home, and the singer took the latest look for a test drive. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rendezvous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle French, from rendez vous present yourselves

First Known Use

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1645, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of rendezvous was in 1582

Dictionary Entries Near rendezvous

Cite this Entry

“Rendezvous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rendezvous. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rendezvous

1 of 2 noun
ren·​dez·​vous ˈrän-di-ˌvü How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
-dā-
plural rendezvous -ˌvüz How to pronounce rendezvous (audio)
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"

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