confer
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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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
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(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
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was conferringprogressive
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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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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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:
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
Answering questions, they confer in a huddle before appointing a spokesperson.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
The city’s police union said Wednesday that the city failed to meet and confer with it over any of the proposals at the LAPD, as required under the collective bargaining process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
Hamlet went to confer with the players, while Horatio approached me.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
And while it confers some key benefits — particularly a 2% reward on Costco purchases, delivered annually in the form of a store certificate — it isn’t necessarily a VIP-type program.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 13, 2026
"Our work lays the foundation and provides preclinical evidence for a therapeutic approach for Rett syndrome that increases MeCP2 and confers functional improvement," Zoghbi said.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 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
He and Flores sat quietly, wearing headphones for translation while their attorneys conferred with the judge.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
It’s clear they also wanted to maintain the impunity conferred by America’s superpower status.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
King Charles III conferred royal status on the Port of Barrow for its contribution to national defense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
And interviewing a sitting president has long conferred prestige, which might well feel paramount amid shrinking audiences and newsroom layoffs.
From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026
As time went on and the benefits he had conferred upon the town receded in time they sat on his store porch while he was busy inside and discussed him.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
U.S. and allied military planners, meanwhile, have spent months conferring on new blueprints for their combined force structures in Europe, under which the U.S. would reduce its nonnuclear deployments and Europeans would gradually fill gaps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Bain firmly she rejected accusations of corruption and conferring political advantage.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 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
After conferring with state water quality officials, DWP drained the reservoir to repair the floating cover.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025
The Suits are conferring with the chief of police.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
