convene

verb

con·​vene kən-ˈvēn 

convened; convening

intransitive verb

: to come together in a body

We convened at the hotel for a seminar.

transitive verb

1

: to summon before a tribunal

2

: to cause to assemble

A world council was convened in Paris.

convener noun

or convenor

kən-ˈvē-nər 

Synonyms

• assemble
• call
• convoke
• muster
• summon

Choose the Right Synonym for convene

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 convene in a Sentence

We convened at the hotel for a seminar.

This class convenes twice a week.

A panel of investigators was convened by the president to review the case.

Recent Examples on the Web

All seven convened in Lausanne, Switzerland at the end of January to make a 15-minute pitch directly to the voting membership, then had 10 minutes to expand on their platforms and answer questions from reporters. —Blythe Lawrence, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

The students applied for a nomination from Peters’ office in the fall and were selected after an interview process with the Service Academy Nominations Board that Peters’ office convened. —Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025

Later that evening, the brides and their guests convened on the rooftop of the Hotel Californian at sunset for the welcome party. —Shelby Wax, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2025

The split among advisers came just two days before Mr. Trump is set to convene his first full cabinet meeting of his second term at the White House on Wednesday. —Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin convenire, from Latin, to assemble — more at convenient

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for convene

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

Kids Definition

convene

verb

con·​vene kən-ˈvēn 

convened; convening

1

: to come together in a group : assemble

2

: to cause to convene : call together

convened a meeting