conference

American  

[kon-fer-uhns, -fruhns] / ˈkɒn fər əns, -frəns /

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.

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verb (used without object)

conferenced, conferencing

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

conference British  

/ 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

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Related Words

See convention.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of conference

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

Example Sentences

“The software sale is the easy part,” ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott said at a Morgan Stanley conference earlier this month.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

Gen. Rob Bonta held a news conference to encourage California voters to vote early because of service changes at the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Zuckerberg called glasses “the ideal form factor for personal superintelligence,” during his introduction of the latest specs at the company’s Meta Connect conference last year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

One suspect remains at large, and investigators are working with authorities in the state of Georgia to locate him, US Attorney Ryan Raybould told a news conference on Thursday.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Jonah would be in the nonfiction section, near the conference room.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

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