take a break and come back to this later

adjourn

verb|/əˈdʒɜːrn/

To pause or end a meeting with intention to resume later

Examples

In a meeting

Let's adjourn for today and pick this up tomorrow morning when we're fresh.

Over coffee

Can we adjourn this discussion until after dinner?

Why this word

postpone

adjourn is the formal term for suspending a meeting or session with intent to resume, while postpone is general delay

suspend

adjourn implies a procedural, temporary halt with planned resumption, while suspend is less specific about procedure or resumption

end

adjourn means temporarily closing with intention to reconvene, while end suggests finality

Usage tip

Best for formal meetings or discussions; implies a planned resumption, not permanent ending

Etymology

Old French: ajourner (a- 'to' + jorn 'day')

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