# adjourn

/əˈdʒɝn/ (US) · /ɐdʒˈɜːn/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/adjourn
Updated: 2026-05-30

## Definition

to stop a meeting or a court session for a short time or for good. You use this when the people involved decide to leave the room and come back later.

For teachers: to suspend a meeting, session, or proceeding temporarily or permanently. Often used in legal or parliamentary contexts to describe the formal cessation of a session.

## Examples

- The judge decided to adjourn the trial until next week.
- After the jury failed to reach a verdict by midnight, the judge ordered the trial to adjourn for the weekend.
- The committee chose to adjourn the debate until the following morning, allowing members time to review the new evidence presented by the opposing counsel.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.