conclave
noun
con·clave
ˈkän-ˌklāv 
1
: a private meeting or secret assembly
especially
: a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope
The conclave elected the new pope on the fifth ballot.
2
: a gathering of a group or association
the annual conclave of newspaper publishers
Did you know?
Conclave comes from a Latin word meaning "room that can be locked up" (from the Latin com-, "together," and clavis, "key"). The English conclave formerly had the same meaning, but that use is now obsolete. Today, conclave refers not to the locked rooms but to the private meetings and secret assemblies that occur within them. The meaning of conclave has also expanded to include gatherings that are not necessarily secret or private but simply involve people with shared interests.
Examples of conclave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the film’s last shot, the shuttered conclave over, a priest cracks a window and looks out at a courtyard.
—
Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
Related article High anxiety and whispers of a conclave: How the Vatican is dealing with Pope Francis’ hospitalization
The pope continues to alternate between high flow oxygen therapy during the day and non-invasive ventilation at night, the Vatican press office said.
—Sharon Braithwaite and Christopher Lamb, CNN, 8 Mar. 2025
The camerlengo also takes custody of the Vatican’s property in Rome and supervises details for the upcoming conclave.
—Daniel Speed Thompson, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
There were more details over the sessions about the pilot projects for door-to-door collection of textile waste underway in Navi Mumbai and Bangalore, as well as the fact that the conclave in Panipat in Northern India had strengthened and was working its way towards finding more solutions.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conclave
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
Related article High anxiety and whispers of a conclave: How the Vatican is dealing with Pope Francis’ hospitalization
The pope continues to alternate between high flow oxygen therapy during the day and non-invasive ventilation at night, the Vatican press office said.
—Sharon Braithwaite and Christopher Lamb, CNN, 8 Mar. 2025
The camerlengo also takes custody of the Vatican’s property in Rome and supervises details for the upcoming conclave.
—Daniel Speed Thompson, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025
There were more details over the sessions about the pilot projects for door-to-door collection of textile waste underway in Navi Mumbai and Bangalore, as well as the fact that the conclave in Panipat in Northern India had strengthened and was working its way towards finding more solutions.
—Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conclave
Cite this Entry
“Conclave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conclave. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conclave
noun
con·clave
ˈkän-ˌklāv
: a private or secret meeting or assembly
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share