adjourn

verb

ad·​journ ə-ˈjərn 

adjourned; adjourning; adjourns

transitive verb

: to suspend indefinitely or until a later stated time

adjourn a meeting

Court is adjourned until 10 a.m. tomorrow.

intransitive verb

1

: to suspend a session indefinitely or to another time or place

Congress will not adjourn until the budget has been completed.

2

: to move to another place

We adjourned to the library.

Synonyms

• prorogate
• prorogue
• recess
• suspend

Examples of adjourn in a Sentence

The chairperson has adjourned the meeting.

Court is adjourned until 10:00 tomorrow.

The meeting adjourned at 4:00.

Congress will not adjourn until the budget has been completed.

Recent Examples on the Web

Court adjourned just before 3:30 p.m., and Douglass is expected to continue testifying Thursday. —Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 17 Apr. 2024

Three days before the start of Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the judge in the case on Friday denied the former president's request to adjourn the case because of overwhelming pretrial publicity. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2024

The board appeared eager to end the meeting, at one point attempting to adjourn before all of the public comments had been given. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024

In late March, just before the House adjourned for a two week Spring recess, Greene filed a motion to vacate House Speaker Johnson’s leadership position, winding up Republicans for a tense return to Washington in mid-April. —Brian Bennett, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

Then came March 9, when the Virginia General Assembly adjourned — and left the $2 billion Potomac Yard arena plan out of the budget, a crucial setback for Youngkin’s effort to score his own legacy-defining economic development win. —Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024

By refusing to bring the bill to the floor before lawmakers adjourn for the year, Senate Republicans are leaving open the door to more false claims by former President Donald Trump about the integrity of Wisconsin's elections. —Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024

After nearly nine hours of debate, the Missouri Senate adjourned late Wednesday evening without taking action on the legislation. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024

The commission heard arguments from lawyers Tuesday, but immediately adjourned when tornado sirens started going off as a storm moved through the area. —Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 3 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ajornen, ajournen, adjornen "to set a day for reconvening (a court or assembly), suspend temporarily, postpone," borrowed from Anglo-French ajorner, ajourner, from a- (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + jorn, jor "day," going back to Late Latin diurnum (Latin, "daily ration, daybook"), from neuter of Latin diurnus "daily" — more at diurnal entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing adjourn

• adjourn to

Kids Definition

adjourn

verb

ad·​journ ə-ˈjərn 

1

: to bring or come to a close for a period of time

Congress adjourned

adjourn a meeting

2

: to move to another place

let us adjourn to the sitting room

adjournment

-mənt

noun

Legal Definition

adjourn

transitive verb

ad·​journ ə-ˈjərn 

: to put off further proceedings of either indefinitely or until a later stated time : close formally

adjourning the session

intransitive verb

: to suspend a session or meeting till another time or indefinitely : suspend formal business or procedure and disband

the congress will adjourn next month

adjournment noun