Definition

1. Verb (Transitive):

   • To suspend a meeting, session, or gathering with the intention of resuming it at a later time or date.
   • To postpone or defer an event or proceeding to a future time.

2. Verb (Intransitive):

   • (Of a meeting, court, or assembly) To suspend its proceedings and disband, typically with plans to reconvene.
   • To move from one place to another, often following a formal meeting or meal.

Usage Examples

• Transitive Verb:

  • The chairperson decided to adjourn the meeting until next Tuesday.
  • The judge adjourned the trial for two weeks to allow for further evidence collection.

• Intransitive Verb:

  • The committee will adjourn at 5 PM today.
  • After the lecture, the audience adjourned to the lobby for refreshments.

Advanced Usage

• "to adjourn sine die": To adjourn without setting a date for the next meeting, effectively ending the session indefinitely.

  • With no further business, the convention was adjourned sine die.

• "to adjourn for": To suspend proceedings for a specific purpose or period.

  • The court will now adjourn for lunch and reconvene at 2 PM.

Variants and Related Words

• Adjournment (n): The act of adjourning or the state of being adjourned; the period during which proceedings are suspended.
  • The motion called for an immediate adjournment.

Synonyms

• Suspend: To temporarily stop or interrupt.
• Postpone: To cause something to take place at a later time.
• Recess: To take a temporary break in proceedings.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs. Its meaning is typically expressed directly.)

Related Idioms

• "Adjourn to (a place)": To move or go to another place, especially after a formal event.
  • Shall we adjourn to the study for a brandy?

Verb

1. break from a meeting or gathering
   • We adjourned for lunch
   • The men retired to the library
2. close at the end of a session
   • The court adjourned