confer

American  

[kuhn-fur] / kənˈfɜr /

verb (used without object)

• confers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• conferred,
  past participle,  past
• conferring
  present participle

1. to consult together; compare opinions; carry on a discussion or deliberation.

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verb (used with object)

• confers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• conferred,
  past participle,  past
• conferring
  present participle

1. to bestow upon as a gift, favor, honor, etc..

   to confer a degree on a graduate.

2. Obsolete. to compare.

confer British  

/ kənˈfɜː /

verb

1. (tr; foll by on or upon) to grant or bestow (an honour, gift, etc)

2. (intr) to hold or take part in a conference or consult together

3. (tr) an obsolete word for compare

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Synonym Usage

See consult. See give.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• conferment
  noun
• conferrer
  noun
• reconfer
  verb
• preconfer
  verb (used without object)
• conferrable
  adjective
• nonconferrable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• conferring
  present
• conferred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• confer
  simple
• confers
  simple
• have conferred
  perfect
• has conferred
  perfect
• am conferring
  progressive
• are conferring
  progressive
• is conferring
  progressive
• have been conferring
  perfect progressive
• has been conferring
  perfect progressive

Past

• conferred
  simple
• had conferred
  perfect
• was conferring
  progressive
• were conferring
  progressive
• had been conferring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will confer
  simple
• will have conferred
  perfect
• will be conferring
  progressive
• will have been conferring
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

confer confers conferred conferring

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 245 gives us the opportunity to meet and confer and see if there are revisions or additions or mitigation that can better protect the full community,” McOsker said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 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

All the while, Emily and Cecilia Tallis maintained a patter that surely robbed the guests of the ease it was supposed to confer.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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

I hope Mr. Trump will raise Mr. Lai’s case once again when he confers with China’s leader in Beijing later this spring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 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

Let each one leave his children every good thing this realm confers upon him!

From "The Odyssey" by Homer

In February 2023, the local authority issued care proceedings on the basis that the girls were "beyond parental control" and conferred parental responsibility onto their birth parents.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

Last year, Pirro hired two lawyers and conferred upon them the title of special counsel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026

Our founders didn’t believe that power should rest with one person, and that however much was conferred on the president, it was temporary.

From Salon ● Mar. 29, 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

Dignidad was something you conferred on other people, and they, in turn, gave back to you.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Gulf states aren’t the only ones conferring with the White House.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

After conferring with Parias’ 19-year-old son, Rivera asked the judge if the young man could hug his father, whom he hadn’t seen in a week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

"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

But Indians in the US face the longest wait of any foreign nationality to receive a green card conferring lawful permanent residency.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2025

Max could hear them conferring outside his bedroom door.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• advise
• argue
• brainstorm
• consult
• huddle
• negotiate
• speak