convention meaning and examples

2025-08-26

Meaning

The noun convention has several meanings:

  1. A large meeting or conference, especially of people who share a common interest or profession.
  2. An accepted practice, rule, or custom that is generally followed in a society, organization, or culture.
  3. An agreement or treaty between countries.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Noun (countable and uncountable depending on context).

  • Plural: Conventions.

  • Usage:

    • "A convention of doctors" (meeting).
    • "By convention, the bride wears white" (custom).
    • "The Geneva Conventions" (international agreements).

Common Phrases

  • attend a convention – to go to a formal meeting or conference.
  • political convention – a large meeting held by a political party.
  • social conventions – accepted rules of behavior in society.
  • international convention – a formal treaty between nations.

Collocations

  • verb + convention: hold a convention, break a convention, follow a convention.
  • adjective + convention: traditional convention, legal convention, annual convention.
  • noun + convention: business convention, teachers’ convention, peace convention.

Examples

  1. The company will hold its annual convention in New York next month.
  2. By convention, people shake hands when they meet for the first time.
  3. Breaking social conventions can sometimes lead to innovation.
  4. Delegates from 50 countries signed the international convention on climate change.
  5. The political convention attracted thousands of party members and supporters.
  6. This book challenges the literary conventions of the 19th century.
  7. It is a long-standing convention that judges wear robes in court.
  8. The Geneva Convention established rules for humanitarian treatment during war.
  • meeting, conference, assembly (for gatherings).
  • custom, tradition, practice, norm (for accepted ways of doing things).
  • treaty, agreement, pact (for international use).