sessions: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Neutral. Common in formal, academic, business, and everyday contexts.
Quick answer
What does “sessions” mean?
Plural of 'session': a period of time devoted to a specific activity, such as a meeting, class, or official sitting of a court or parliament.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Plural of 'session': a period of time devoted to a specific activity, such as a meeting, class, or official sitting of a court or parliament.
Can refer to a series of such meetings or periods; in computing, a sequence of interactions by a user with a system (e.g., a logged-in period on a website).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use 'session' identically in legal, parliamentary, and therapeutic contexts. 'Session musician' is common in both. In informal UK English, 'to have a session' can mean an extended period of heavy drinking, a usage less common in US English.
Connotations
In the UK, 'sessions' in a parliamentary or court context is heavily institutional. In the US, it can have strong connotations of legislative activity (e.g., congressional sessions) and, informally, of music recording or therapy.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both varieties. Slightly higher visibility in US media regarding 'legislative sessions' and 'therapy sessions'.
Grammar
How to Use “sessions” in a Sentence
attend sessionsconduct sessionshold sessionsschedule sessionssit in sessionVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sessions” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The band hired a session guitarist for the album.
- She works as a session musician.
American English
- He's one of the top session players in Nashville.
- We need a session drummer for the recording.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
We have scheduled feedback sessions with all department heads next quarter.
Academic
The university offers supplementary tutorial sessions for first-year students.
Everyday
My yoga class has two sessions a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Technical
The web application uses cookies to manage user sessions and maintain login state.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “sessions”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “sessions”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sessions”
- Using 'sessions' as a singular noun (e.g., 'a sessions was held' is incorrect).
- Confusing 'session' with 'season' (e.g., 'football session' instead of 'football season').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it is countable. You can have one session, two sessions, etc.
A 'session' often implies a longer, more structured, or officially designated period of activity (like a court session or a therapy session), whereas a 'meeting' is a more general term for people coming together to discuss something.
No, 'session' is not a standard verb. The related verb is 'to sit in session' for official bodies.
In very informal British English, 'to have a session' can mean to go out for a long period of drinking alcohol, though this is slang and context-dependent.
Plural of 'session': a period of time devoted to a specific activity, such as a meeting, class, or official sitting of a court or parliament.
Sessions: in British English it is pronounced /ˈsɛʃ(ə)nz/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈsɛʃənz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “in session”
- “a session musician”
- “to be out of session (parliament/court)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a judge's GAVEL hitting the desk to call the court SESSION to order. The sound 'SESH' helps remember the core pronunciation and the formal setting.
Conceptual Metaphor
TIME IS A CONTAINER (e.g., 'a two-hour session'); WORK/ACTIVITY IS A JOURNEY (e.g., 'progressing through the therapy sessions').
Practice
Quiz
In the context of web development, what does the term 'user session' primarily refer to?