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
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.
Noun
Venus and Uranus’ connection fosters an intense romantic rendezvous. USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024 As the trio dances, Sivan sings about the NSFW details of a hotel rendezvous. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2024
Verb
Particularly juicy is de Wolfe’s guest book for Villa Trianon, lined with signatures from the artists and society set who rendezvoused at her Versailles refuge. Alia Akkam, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2024 The Crew Dragon now has about a 28-hour ride to rendezvous with the ISS and join the nine people already on the station. Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 28 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rendezvous 

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 21 Dec. 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"

More from Merriam-Webster on rendezvous

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!