Word
convene
Phoneticscon·vene, stress on the second syllable
US/kənˈvin/
UK/kənvˈiːn/
Definitions
01to call a meeting
C1 · Advanced Formal · Academic
v. to arrange for a group of people to meet for a formal purpose.
v. to summon or call together a group of people for a formal assembly or meeting. Transitive — takes a direct object.
“The committee chair decided to convene a special meeting to discuss the budget.”
“The Secretary-General has the authority to convene an emergency session of the council should the geopolitical situation deteriorate further.”
02to meet together
C1 · Advanced Formal · Academic
v. to gather or come together for a formal meeting.
v. to assemble or come together in a body for a public or official purpose. Intransitive — does not take a direct object.
“The students will convene in the main hall at ten o'clock for the presentation.”
“The delegates are scheduled to convene at the international summit to ratify the new environmental protocols.”
03legal summons
C2 · Proficiency Law Formal · Technical
v. to officially order someone to appear in a court of law.
v. to summon a person judicially to appear before a court or tribunal.
“The witness was convened to give evidence during the trial.”
“The tribunal convened the defendants to answer for their alleged violations of maritime law.”
Usage
The verb is often transitive ('convene a meeting') but can be intransitive ('the committee convened').
Pitfall
convene together
convene
The word 'convene' already includes the idea of coming together, so adding 'together' is redundant.
Real-World Examples
“The Organization of American States (OAS), a regional human rights body, has voted to convene an urgent meeting of foreign ministers over Nicaragua, declaring that representative democracy “no longer exists” in the country.” “In 1971, Nasa convened a panel of experts to study the best ways to search for extraterrestrial life.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French convenir, from Latin convenio, convenire (“come together”), from con- (“with, together”) + veniō (“come”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʷm̥yéti, from the root gʷem-.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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