con·ven·tion 
/kənˈvɛnʃən/ noun
plural con·ven·tions /kənˈvɛnʃən/ noun 1 [count] : a large meeting of people who come to a place for usually several days to talk about their shared work or other interests or to make decisions as a group
▪ We go to the weeklong annual teachers' convention every summer. ▪ He bought some new books at the science fiction convention. ▪ a constitutional convention [=a meeting in which political leaders create a constitution] ▪ The Democratic National Convention will meet next week to announce their party's candidate for president. ▪ The conference was held at the new convention center. [=a building or set of buildings designed to hold many people and meetings] 2 : a custom or a way of acting or doing things that is widely accepted and followed [count] ▪ It's important to follow the conventions of punctuation in a paper for school. ▪ They say school is just as important for teaching children social codes and conventions as for teaching math. ▪ Many sports shows have recently adopted the conventions of the talk show. [noncount] ▪ a poet who rebels against literary convention ▪ The award that by convention should have gone to the student with the highest grade went instead to the teacher's favorite. ▪ a director who has always defied convention [=done unexpected or unusual things] in his movies ▪ As a matter of convention, the oldest members speak first. 3 [count] : a traditional or common style often used in literature, theater, or art to create a particular effect
▪ artistic conventions ▪ The director's use of the usual romantic conventions made the film boring and predictable. ▪ His latest novel uses the conventions of early 19th-century literature. 4 [count] formal : a formal agreement between two groups (such as countries or political organizations)
▪ an international convention banning the spread of nuclear weapons ▪ the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
▪ We go to the weeklong annual teachers' convention every summer. ▪ He bought some new books at the science fiction convention. ▪ a constitutional convention [=a meeting in which political leaders create a constitution] ▪ The Democratic National Convention will meet next week to announce their party's candidate for president. ▪ The conference was held at the new convention center. [=a building or set of buildings designed to hold many people and meetings]
▪ artistic conventions ▪ The director's use of the usual romantic conventions made the film boring and predictable. ▪ His latest novel uses the conventions of early 19th-century literature.
▪ an international convention banning the spread of nuclear weapons ▪ the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
