convoke

verb

con·​voke kən-ˈvōk 

convoked; convoking

transitive verb

: to call together to a meeting

Did you know?

The Latin noun vox ("voice") and verb vocare ("to call") have given rise to many English words,  including convoke. Other English descendants of those roots are usually spelled with voc and have to do with speaking or calling. Thus, a vocation is a special calling to a type of work; an evocative sight or smell calls forth memories and feelings; and a vocal ensemble is a singing group. Provoke, irrevocable, equivocate, and vociferous are a few of the other descendants of vox and vocare. The related noun convocation refers to a group of people who have been called together.

Synonyms

• assemble
• call
• convene
• muster
• summon

Choose the Right Synonym for convoke

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 convoke in a Sentence

The assembly was convoked for a special session.

They convoked a meeting of the delegates.

Recent Examples on the Web

Eli Wallach convokes The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. —Armond White, National Review, 16 Aug. 2023

Late Friday, politicians both for and against Morales reached an agreement to send to congress a bill to convoke a new presidential election. —Washington Post, 23 Nov. 2019

Colombian President Ivan Duque convoked the summit to enhance cooperation that began with the 1978 signing of a treaty by eight Amazon nations but which has stalled even as threats from climate change and unchecked development have increased. —Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2019

Demonstrators are demanding new elections, but Maduro has vowed instead to resolve the crisis by convoking a special assembly to rewrite the constitution. —Washington Post, 30 June 2017

Maduro has vowed to resolve his nation’s crisis by convoking a special assembly to rewrite Venezuela’s constitution. —Christine Armario, The Seattle Times, 18 May 2017

Maduro has vowed to resolve his nation's crisis by convoking a special assembly to rewrite Venezuela's constitution. —Fox News, 18 May 2017

Maduro has vowed to resolve the crisis by convoking a special assembly to rewrite the nation’s constitution, a proposition that has further infuriated the opposition. —Washington Post, 12 May 2017

Luis Emilio Rondon, one of five members of the electoral council and the only one who in the past has sided with opposition initiatives, said Maduro's decree alone was not enough to convoke a constitutional assembly. —Hannah Dreier and Joshua Goodman, chicagotribune.com, 3 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle French convoquer, from Latin convocare, from com- + vocare to call, from voc-, vox voice — more at voice

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

convoke

verb

con·​voke kən-ˈvōk 

convoked; convoking

: to call together to a meeting