recess
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
to place or set in a recess.
-
to set or form as or like a recess; make a recess or recesses in.
to recess a wall.
-
to suspend or defer for a recess.
to recess the Senate.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a space, such as a niche or alcove, set back or indented
-
(often plural) a secluded or secret place
recesses of the mind
-
a cessation of business, such as the closure of Parliament during a vacation
-
anatomy a small cavity or depression in a bodily organ, part, or structure
-
a break between classes at a school
verb
-
(tr) to place or set (something) in a recess
-
(tr) to build a recess or recesses in (a wall, building, etc)
Other Word Forms
- nonrecess noun
Etymology
Origin of recess
1510–20; < Latin recessus a withdrawal, receding part, equivalent to recēd ( ere ) to recede 1 + -tus suffix of v. action, with dt > ss
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.
But with no hearing date set, the appeal keeping Tillis’s blockade in place, and the Senate set to go on recess from March 30 through April 10, that window is narrowing.
From Barron's
“I suppose this means immediate recess,” Tansy said.
From Literature
![]()
As he reached the first floor landing, the officer saw Bosh standing with his back to the lift doors in a slight recess.
From BBC
We were in different classes, but all the kindergarteners had recess together.
From Literature
![]()
Before being struck, they tried to move from the track bed to the under-platform recess but this was blocked by communication cables.
From BBC
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.