1
: the action of receding : recession entry 1
2
: a hidden, secret, or secluded place or part
3
a
: indentation, cleft
a deep recess in the hill
b
: alcove
a recess lined with books
4
: a suspension of business or procedure often for rest or relaxation
children playing at recess
recessed; recessing; recesses
1
: to put into a recess
recessed lighting
2
: to make a recess in
3
: to interrupt for a recess
: to take a recess
Examples of recess in a Sentence
Noun
The students play outside after lunch and at recess.
Do you have morning recess?
The Senate debates will continue after the August recess.
The Senate wanted to vote on the bill before recess.
Verb
The trial recessed for the holidays.
The judge decided to recess the trial for the holidays.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
The agency recommends keeping children indoors during recess, rescheduling outdoor athletic activities, and using air filters in homes and classrooms.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
Joelle Diderich, WWD, 24 Mar. 2025
After the comment was made during a committee meeting, it was temporarily recessed and neither alderman returned.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recess
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Noun
Republican lawmakers, who are in the midst of the two-week Easter recess, have stayed largely quiet as the war of words between Trump and Powell has heated up.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
The agency recommends keeping children indoors during recess, rescheduling outdoor athletic activities, and using air filters in homes and classrooms.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
Designed in 1963, it is made from 10 layers of two varieties of wood, one light and one dark, and recessed in the center to form concentric circles.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 24 Mar. 2025
After the comment was made during a committee meeting, it was temporarily recessed and neither alderman returned.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recess
Cite this Entry
“Recess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recess. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recess
1 of 2 noun
re·cess
ˈrē-ˌses 
ri-ˈses
1
: a hidden or secret place
2
a
: a space or little hollow set back (as from the main line of a coast or mountain range)
b
3
: a brief period for relaxation between periods of work
recess
2 of 2 verb1
: to put into a recess
recessed lighting
2
: to make a recess in
3
: to interrupt for or take a recess
Legal Definition
recess
noun
re·cess
ˈrē-ˌses, ri-ˈses
: a temporary adjournment of a trial, hearing, or legislative session
recess
verb
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