adjourn

A1D2J8O1U1R1N1
US/əˈd͡ʒɝn/UK/əˈdʒɜːn/

verb

To postpone.

“The court will adjourn for lunch.”

Similar
recessbreak upwithdrawretiresecludesequestersequestrate
OriginMiddle English ajournen ← Old French ajorner →
Less commonScrabble 15
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Meanings

verbadjourn (third-person singular simple present adjourns, present participle adjourning, simple past and past participle adjourned)

present singular third person adjourns · participle present adjourning · participle past adjourned · past adjourned

  1. transitiveTo postpone.

    The trial was adjourned for a week.

  2. transitiveTo defer; to put off temporarily or indefinitely.

    It is a common practice […]to adjourn the reformation of their lives to a further time.

    a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC
    1 more example

    But as she was sleepier than any of them — she'd been rubbing her eyes for an hour — she consented to adjourn the meeting.

    2007, Trenton Lee Stewart, The Mysterious Benedict Society, page 186
  3. intransitiveTo end or suspend an event.

    The court will adjourn for lunch.

    2 more examples

    The Form of this motion is, “When this assembly adjourns, it adjourns to meet at such a time.”

    1876, Henry Martyn Robert, Robert’s Rules of Order, Chicago: S.C. Griggs & Co., Article III, Section 10, pp. 25-26

    When it's time for the fallout / And Saint Peter calls us all out / We'll just drop our agendas and adjourn

    1959, Tom Lehrer, “We Will All Go Together When We Go”
  4. formalintransitiveuncommonTo move as a group from one place to another.

    After the dinner, we will adjourn to the bar.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbclose at the end of a session

Similar
recessbreak up
Broader
endstopfinish

verbbreak from a meeting or gathering

Similar
withdrawretiresecludesequestersequestrate
Broader
close upclosefold
Also see
break updelaykick the can down the roadprocrastinaterecessretireroll backsecludesequestersequestratetarrywithdraw

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchajorner
  2. Middle Englishajournen
  3. Englishadjourn

From Middle English ajournen, from Old French ajorner (French ajourner), from the phrase a jor (nomé) ("to an (appointed) day").

More words from Middle English, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian отлагам, отсрочвам
  • отлагам (otlagam)to postpone
  • отсрочвам (otsročvam)to postpone
  • прекъсвам (prekăsvam)to defer
  • правя пауза (pravja pauza)to defer
  • закривам (zakrivam)to end or suspend an event
  • премествам (premestvam)to move from one place to another
Catalan ajornar, posposar
  • ajornarto postpone
  • posposarto postpone
  • ajornarto defer
  • suspendreto end or suspend an event
Dutch uitstellen, verdagen
  • uitstellento postpone
  • verdagento postpone
  • onderbrekento defer
  • stopzettento end or suspend an event
  • afgelastento end or suspend an event
Finnish lykätä, lykätä
  • lykätäto postpone
  • lykätäto defer
  • päättääto end or suspend an event
  • keskeyttääto end or suspend an event
French ajourner, ajourner
  • ajournerto postpone
  • ajournerto defer
  • ajournerto end or suspend an event
  • mouvoirto move from one place to another
German unterbrechen, vertagen
  • unterbrechento postpone
  • vertagento postpone
  • aufschiebento defer
  • schließento end or suspend an event
  • aufhebento end or suspend an event
  • sich begebento move from one place to another
  • sich zurückziehento move from one place to another
  • verlegen (venue)to move from one place to another
Hungarian elnapol, elhalaszt
  • elnapolto postpone
  • elhalasztto postpone
  • halasztto defer
  • elhalasztto defer
  • elodázto defer
  • felfüggesztto end or suspend an event
  • berekesztto end or suspend an event
  • megyto move from one place to another
  • átmegyto move from one place to another
  • átvonulto move from one place to another
Māori hiki, pāuhu
  • hikito postpone
  • pāuhuto postpone
  • pāuhuto defer
  • whakatārewato defer
  • hikito defer
Norwegian Bokmål ajournere, utsette
  • ajournereto postpone
  • utsetteto postpone
  • ajournereto defer
  • utsetteto defer
Romanian amâna
  • amânato postpone
Russian отложи́ть, откла́дывать
  • отложи́ть (otložítʹ)to postpone
  • откла́дывать (otkládyvatʹ)to postpone
  • отсро́чить (otsróčitʹ)to postpone
  • отсро́чивать (otsróčivatʹ)to postpone
  • оттяну́ть (ottjanútʹ)to postpone
  • оття́гивать (ottjágivatʹ)to postpone
  • де́лать переры́в (délatʹ)to defer
  • объявля́ть переры́в (obʺjavljátʹ)to defer
  • in different meanings закры́ть (zakrýtʹ)to end or suspend an event
  • прекрати́ть (prekratítʹ)to end or suspend an event
  • прерва́ть (prervátʹ)to end or suspend an event
  • etc.to end or suspend an event
Spanish postergar, prorrogar
  • postergarto postpone
  • prorrogarto postpone
  • aplazarto postpone
  • postergarto defer
  • prorrogarto defer
  • aplazarto defer
Swedish ajournera, flytta fram
  • ajournerato postpone
  • flytta framto postpone
  • skjuta uppto postpone
Thai ย้าย
  • ย้าย (yáai)to move from one place to another

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with adjourn

returnlearnconcernearnburnsternkernfernurnBerndiscernchurnternernnocturneyearnAuvergneupturnpernderngernhernasternspurn
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Jourdan
Cite this entry
APA

adjourn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adjourn

MLA

“adjourn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adjourn. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “adjourn,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/adjourn.

Source: adjourn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.