- recess
- noun1 period when a parliament, etc. does not meetADJECTIVE▪ August (AmE), Christmas (esp. BrE), Easter (esp. AmE), holiday (AmE), summer, Whitsun (BrE), winter (AmE)▪
Congress returns from its August recess Tuesday.
▪Parliament is taking the Christmas recess a little early this year.
▪The bill has to be passed before the holiday recess.
▪ congressional, parliamentary▪ brief, short (both esp. AmE)▪The court will take a brief recess while the witness composes herself.
▪ month-long, two-month, week-long, etc.VERB + RECESS▪ go into, rise for (BrE, formal), stand in (AmE, formal), take▪The Senate will go into recess after Thanksgiving.
▪Parliament is due to rise for the summer recess on July 20.
▪The Florida court stands in recess.
▪ return from▪ call▪The judge called a short recess.
PREPOSITION▪ in recess▪Congress has been in recess for over a month.
▪The decision cannot be made while the council is in recess.
2 (AmE) a period of time between classes at schoolADJECTIVE▪ lunchVERB + RECESS▪ spend▪ have▪We had lunch and then we had recess.
RECESS + NOUN▪ bell▪ time▪I believe kids need more recess time.
PREPOSITION▪ at recess▪He wouldn't play with me at recess.
3 part of sth that is farther backADJECTIVE▪ deep▪ shallow, small▪ dark▪ windowVERB + RECESS▪ createPREPOSITION▪ in recess, inside recess▪blinds fitted inside a window recess
▪ recess in▪There are small recesses in the wall beside the door.
4 (usually recesses) part furthest from the lightADJECTIVE▪ dark, deep, dim▪He stared into the dark recesses of the room.
▪ far, inner, innermost (figurative)▪He searched the innermost recesses of his soul.
▪ hiddenVERB + RECESS▪ hide in, lurk in (figurative)▪fears lurking deep in the recesses of our minds
▪ push sth into, push sth to (both figurative)▪I had continually pushed my doubts to the darker recesses of my mind.
PREPOSITION▪ in the recess of, within the recess of▪The statue was in the inner recesses of the temple.
PHRASES▪ the recesses of your brain, heart, soul, etc. (figurative)
Collocations dictionary. 2013.