conference

[kon-fer-uhns, -fruhns]

noun

1. a meeting for consultation or discussion.

   a conference between a student and his adviser.

   Synonyms: colloquium, parley

2. the act of conferring or consulting together; consultation, especially on an important or serious matter.

3. Government.,  a meeting, as of various committees, to settle disagreements between the two branches of the legislature.

4. an association of athletic teams; league.

   an intercollegiate conference.

5. Ecclesiastical.

   1. an official assembly of clergy or of clergy and laity, customary in many Christian denominations.

   2. a group of churches whose representatives regularly meet in such an assembly.

verb (used without object)

conferenced, conferencing 

1. to hold or participate in a conference or series of conferences.

conference

/ ˈkɒnfərəns, -frəns, ˌkɒnfəˈrɛnʃəl /

noun

1. a meeting for consultation, exchange of information, or discussion, esp one with a formal agenda

2. a formal meeting of two or more states, political groups, etc, esp to discuss differences or formulate common policy

3. an assembly of the clergy or of clergy and laity of any of certain Protestant Christian Churches acting as representatives of their denomination

   the Methodist conference

4. sport a league or division of clubs or teams

5. rare,  an act of bestowal

Other Word Forms

• conferential adjective
• preconference noun
• subconference noun
• subconferential adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of conference¹

From the Medieval Latin word conferentia, dating back to 1530–40. See confer, -ence

Word History and Origins

Origin of conference¹

C16: from Medieval Latin conferentia, from Latin conferre to bring together; see _confer

Synonym Study

See convention.

Example Sentences

The Bruins have not appeared in a Rose Bowl game since 1999, at the end of a season in which they won their last conference championship.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

On Tuesday 4 November, the chancellor called an extraordinary pre-Budget news conference.

Read more on BBC

Attention now shifts to the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo meeting and a work conference focused on economic affairs later this month.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The path to this weekend's founding conference has been overshadowed by splits in the party over everything from money, leadership to even its name.

Read more on BBC

Either way, the hodgepodge of conferences we have today is antiquated, a relic of a broken cable TV model.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• consultation 
• discussion 
• forum 
• interview 
• meeting 
• seminar 
• symposium 
• talk