adjourn
uh-JURN
/əˈdʒɜːrn/
To break off a meeting, legal case, or game with the intention of resuming it later.
Specifically used for formal gatherings like trials, legislative sessions, or official meetings.
The story behind the word. From the Old French 'ajorner', which meant 'to appoint a day.' It literally means to put something off to another 'jour' (day). It has been the standard term for ending a day's work in court since the 14th century.
Word relationships
- recess: Recess is often a shorter break within a single day; adjourn often implies ending for the day or longer.
- suspend: Suspend can mean stopping something indefinitely; adjourn always implies a future resumption.
- convene: To come together or assemble for a meeting.
- commence: To begin or start.
Commonly confused with
- sojourn: A sojourn is a temporary stay in a place; an adjournment is a temporary break in a meeting.
Word family
- adjournment (noun): A period of time in which the action of a group is temporarily stopped.
Collocations
- adjourn a meeting
- adjourn for lunch
- motion to adjourn
Example sentences
- "The judge decided to adjourn the trial until Monday morning." A courtroom setting.
- "Congress will adjourn for the summer recess at the end of the week." A legislative session.
Memory hook
Think of a 'Journal' where you write your 'daily' thoughts; to 'adjourn' is to move the meeting to a new day in the journal. AD-JOURN: To another day (jour).
When not to use
Don't use this for a casual hangout or a personal task; it's too formal.
Fun facts
- The word 'journey' comes from the same root, originally meaning a day's travel.
Explore more words
take a break, suspension, convoke, hiatus, deliberate, adjudicate
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