- [countable, uncountable] the way in which something is done that most people in a society expect and consider to be polite or the right way to do it
- the rigid social conventions of Victorian Britain
- She is a young woman who enjoys flouting conventions.
- by convention By convention the deputy leader was always a woman.
- Convention demands that a club member should resign in such a situation.
Extra Examples- By convention, planets are named after Roman gods.
- By convention, the Queen gives the Royal Assent to all measures passed by Parliament.
- Convention dictated that dangerous physical action is the part of heroes, not heroines.
- He had the freedom of spirit to cut through convention.
- Her work refuses any concession to polite conventions of ‘good taste’.
- In a surprising break with convention, she wore a red wedding dress.
- Life with the Leighs was not hidebound by rules or convention.
- No young politician can afford to flout convention in this way.
- She knew that she had broken an important social convention.
- They followed the Greek convention of pinning gifts of money to the bride's dress.
- Here we decided to break with convention.
- The handshake is a social convention.
- They showed a refreshing disrespect for convention.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- accepted
- established
- long-standing
- …
- set
- adhere to
- conform to
- follow
- …
- demand something
- dictate something
- according to convention
- by convention
- a break with convention
- a matter of convention
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [countable] a large meeting of the members of a profession, a political party, etc. synonym conference
- to hold a convention
- the Democratic Party Convention (= to elect a candidate for president)
Extra Examples- Dallas is one of the top convention cities in the United States.
- He addressed the annual Republican convention.
- She was at the Democratic convention.
- journalists reporting from the convention floor
- The party's annual convention will be held on April 6.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- annual
- international
- national
- …
- have
- hold
- host
- …
- take place
- centre/center
- hall
- floor
- …
- at a/the convention
- delegates to a convention
- [countable] an official agreement between countries or leaders
- the Geneva convention
- the United Nations convention on the rights of the child
Extra ExamplesTopics Discussion and agreementc1, Politicsc1- Most countries have adhered to the convention.
- Over 60 countries have yet to ratify the climate convention.
- The convention established procedures for the transport of toxic waste.
- This is forbidden under the Convention on Human Rights.
- This practice breaches the arms convention.
- a convention governing the conditions under which mining is permitted
- the 1869 convention between Turkey and Persia
- the 1951 United Nations Convention on refugees
- the Berne Convention for the Conservation of European Wildlife
- the UN convention against torture
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- global
- international
- European
- …
- adopt
- ratify
- sign
- …
- apply
- govern something
- establish something
- …
- under a/the convention
- convention against
- convention between
- …
- a breach of a convention
- [countable, uncountable] a traditional method or style in literature, art or the theatre
- the conventions of Greek tragedy
Extra Examples- It's an established convention that the part is played by a woman.
- The novel refuses to conform to the narrative conventions of 19th century realism.
- The novel conforms to the conventions of nineteenth-century realism.
- He challenged the conventions of painting.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- accepted
- established
- long-standing
- …
- set
- adhere to
- conform to
- follow
- …
- demand something
- dictate something
- according to convention
- by convention
- a break with convention
- a matter of convention
Word Originlate Middle English (in sense (2)): via Old French from Latin conventio(n-) ‘meeting, covenant’, from the verb convenire ‘assemble, agree, fit’, from con- ‘together’ + venire ‘come’. Sense (1) dates from the late 18th cent.
Check pronunciation:
convention