1
: the action of receding : recession entry 1
2
: a hidden, secret, or secluded place or part
3
a
: indentation, cleft
a deep recess in the hill
b
: alcove
a recess lined with books
4
: a suspension of business or procedure often for rest or relaxation
children playing at recess
recessed; recessing; recesses
1
: to put into a recess
recessed lighting
2
: to make a recess in
3
: to interrupt for a recess
: to take a recess
Examples of recess in a Sentence
Noun
The students play outside after lunch and at recess.
Do you have morning recess?
The Senate debates will continue after the August recess.
The Senate wanted to vote on the bill before recess.
Verb
The trial recessed for the holidays.
The judge decided to recess the trial for the holidays.
Recent Examples on the Web
Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 27 July 2025
Yet some of my Bronx City Council colleagues are imploring the mayor to step in and veto the Council’s action in the midst of summer recess, essentially providing the body no opportunity to respond.
—Kristy Marmorato, New York Daily News, 26 July 2025
Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
What is hanging over Congress’s sprint to recess: The Jeffrey Epstein saga.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for recess
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
However, Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House out for August recess a day early, effectively skirting efforts to release more files.
—Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 27 July 2025
Yet some of my Bronx City Council colleagues are imploring the mayor to step in and veto the Council’s action in the midst of summer recess, essentially providing the body no opportunity to respond.
—Kristy Marmorato, New York Daily News, 26 July 2025
Verb
The Speaker is recessing Congress without giving us a vote.
—Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
What is hanging over Congress’s sprint to recess: The Jeffrey Epstein saga.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 21 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for recess
Cite this Entry
“Recess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recess. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recess
1 of 2 noun
re·cess
ˈrē-ˌses 
ri-ˈses
1
: a hidden or secret place
2
a
: a space or little hollow set back (as from the main line of a coast or mountain range)
b
3
: a brief period for relaxation between periods of work
recess
2 of 2 verb1
: to put into a recess
recessed lighting
2
: to make a recess in
3
: to interrupt for or take a recess
Legal Definition
recess
noun
re·cess
ˈrē-ˌses, ri-ˈses
: a temporary adjournment of a trial, hearing, or legislative session
recess
verb
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