convene

verb

con·​vene kən-ˈvēn How to pronounce convene (audio)
convened; convening

intransitive verb

: to come together in a body
We convened at the hotel for a seminar.

transitive verb

1
: to summon before a tribunal
2
: to cause to assemble
A world council was convened in Paris.
convener noun
or convenor
Choose the Right Synonym for convene

summon, call, cite, convoke, convene, muster mean to demand the presence of.

summon implies the exercise of authority.

was summoned to answer charges

call may be used less formally for summon.

called the legislature into special session

cite implies a summoning to court usually to answer a charge.

cited for drunken driving

convoke implies a summons to assemble for deliberative or legislative purposes.

convoked a Vatican council

convene is somewhat less formal than convoke.

convened the students

muster suggests a calling up of a number of things that form a group in order that they may be exhibited, displayed, or utilized as a whole.

mustered the troops

Examples of convene in a Sentence

We convened at the hotel for a seminar. This class convenes twice a week. A panel of investigators was convened by the president to review the case.
Recent Examples on the Web At a Senate hearing convened last month to discuss an array of retirement security issues, Republican lawmakers pointed to disclosures that the government had overpaid Central States by $127 million because the plan included nearly 3,500 deceased beneficiaries in its application. Mark Miller, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 In an adjacent space, called the Eagle Room, Wu convened a meeting to discuss the immigration crisis. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024 Shoppers from all over the country, and even internationally, convened at the store to buy into the zeitgeist. Zoe Whitfield, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 In 1989, the agency convened its first gathering to discuss the physical effects of smoke and allotted some money for research. ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024 With a little more infrastructure, the thinking goes, Reddit might be able to convene more sales and take a cut of the action. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 The Council Court will then convene for deliberations, and eventually council members will cast their votes on whether to remove Piagentini, which would take a two-thirds vote. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024 The ban on excessive credit card late fees is expected to be showcased by the White House later on Tuesday when President Joe Biden convenes his Competition Council. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Race marshal Warren Palfrey convened a three-person panel of race officials to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the moose, which became tangled up with Seavey and his dog team early Monday, about 12 hours after the dayslong race officially started. CBS News, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'convene.' 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

Middle English, from Medieval Latin convenire, from Latin, to assemble — more at convenient

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of convene was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near convene

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

convene

verb
con·​vene kən-ˈvēn How to pronounce convene (audio)
convened; convening
1
: to come together in a group : assemble
2
: to cause to convene : call together
convened a meeting

More from Merriam-Webster on convene

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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