confer
Americanverb (used without object)
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confers,
present (3rd person singular)
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conferred,
past participle, past
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conferring
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
confers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conferred,
past participle, past
-
conferring
present participle
-
to bestow upon as a gift, favor, honor, etc..
to confer a degree on a graduate.
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Obsolete. to compare.
verb
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(tr; foll by on or upon) to grant or bestow (an honour, gift, etc)
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(intr) to hold or take part in a conference or consult together
-
(tr) an obsolete word for compare
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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confermentnoun
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conferrernoun
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reconferverb
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preconferverb (used without object)
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conferrableadjective
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nonconferrableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confersimple
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conferssimple
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have conferredperfect
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has conferredperfect
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am conferringprogressive
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are conferringprogressive
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is conferringprogressive
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have been conferringperfect progressive
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has been conferringperfect progressive
Past
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conferredsimple
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had conferredperfect
-
was conferringprogressive
-
were conferringprogressive
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had been conferringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confer
First recorded in 1400–50 for earlier sense “to summon”; 1520–30 for current senses; late Middle English conferen, from Latin conferre “to bring together, compare, consult with,” equivalent to con- “with, together, completely” ( see con-) + ferre “to carry, bear” ( see bear 1)
Explanation
If you gab, chat, and talk it up with someone, you have conversation, but if you're looking for input from each other as you talk, you confer, or consult, together. They had a family meeting to confer about a schedule for sharing the new laptop. Many uses of the verb confer involve consulting with another person or as a group. Confer has a second use meaning "bestow," which means to award or hand over something. You can confer a medal on a winner or hero, or you can confer status through a promotion or assignment. Each year the teacher would confer the special honor of summer hamster-sitter on one responsible student.
Vocabulary lists containing confer
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The law is limited in scope and does not confer the same rights that marriage or state domestic partnership laws do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Some appear to confer small benefits, while some come with hype that science doesn’t back up.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
That’s why older first-time parents should confer with their own parents to tackle the “who’s going to take care of you?” question.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
The consequence is to confer substantially greater discretion on the executive.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
With our bowls of porridge in hand, I led Walter and Kathy over to the south end of the courtyard as though I wanted to confer with them privately.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"Leisa is a phenomenal talent, and casting directors and filmmakers will be sitting up and taking notice. She has warmth and charisma and that magical but unquantifiable essence that confers star status," he added.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
At the heart of the case is the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, which confers citizenship on anyone “born … in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
Consequently, the clause confers on Congress especially broad authority over state electoral systems and makes judicial second-guessing of legislation designed to ensure equal representation for all particularly improper.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
Stories thrive on conflict, which confers an unjust advantage upon the dysfunctional, the belligerent and the wicked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
“All right, everybody, let’s open our books, because science confers power on anyone who takes the trouble to learn it.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
The Crown didn’t take offense; Queen Elizabeth II conferred Stewart’s knighthood in 2010.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Under the NFL’s previous overtime rules, when a touchdown on the opening possession could end the game, everyone understood that winning the coin toss conferred an enormous advantage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It said states "cannot choose to use the federal mails to carry out their elections but then insist that their election-related mail is somehow exempt from the Postal Service's rule-making authority, conferred by Congress".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
They point to the growing number of countries which have conferred de facto recognition by clinching deals, accrediting diplomats, operating embassies, and more.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Alfhercht and Wielaf conferred with rapid gestures, and then Alfhercht paced around the perimeter of the field, studying the ground with a thin-lipped mouth.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Overseas, synthetic tokens, which track stock prices without conferring ownership rights, sometimes deviated significantly from real stock values during off hours and periods of low trading volume.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
A firefighting aircraft was able to fly over the fire Monday and was conferring with firefighters on the ground to decide whether it would be possible to use more aircraft, Theune said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
As the Bank of Southwark went public in Philadelphia, investors hired muscular goons to sign their names into the subscription books conferring the right to buy shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
"After conferring with the league office, because Lamar didn't take starter reps in practice, we updated our report to reflect his practice participation," the Ravens said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
She leaned back into the cockpit for a moment—Maddie could see several figures beckoning and conferring behind her.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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