Adjourn Definition & Meaning

Definition

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms adjourned American [uh-jurnd] / əˈdʒɜrnd /

adjective

1. (of a club or committee meeting, legislative or court session, etc.)

   1. formally ended or closed.

      This July will see a reopening of the adjourned inquest, in light of subsequent collisions involving similar transport trucks.

   2. suspended or stopped for the time being, to be resumed at a future time or another place.

      In the case of an adjourned hearing, persons who were already heard do not need to be notified of the time of the hearing’s resumption.

   3. being the continuation of such a previously suspended meeting.

      According to the bylaws, the adjourned meeting must be held at least 10 days after the original meeting.

2. postponed or held over to a future occasion, a future specified or unspecified time, etc..

   He told an anecdote from the 15th Chess Olympiad, about an adjourned game between Fischer and Botvinnik.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of adjourn.

Other Word Forms

• unadjourned adjective

Etymology

Origin of adjourned

First recorded in 1530–40; adjourn ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; adjourn ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

David Elias KC, defending, asked for the sentencing hearing to be adjourned for reports and to give Williams time to put in place alternative arrangements for his racing business should he be jailed.

From BBC

An inquest, which was opened and adjourned in February 2025, was told the death was "not currently thought to be suspicious".

From BBC

Sentencing was adjourned to 23 April with Judge Edward Bindloss saying he needed a report prepared to assess Hall's "dangerousness".

From BBC

Judge Mr Justice Dias adjourned sentencing to a date to be fixed.

From BBC

Demi's death is still being investigated and area coroner Rose Farmer adjourned the inquest until 26 November.

From BBC

Related Words

• delayed
• negotiated
• postponed

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.