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

“The protocol is before the game you meet at half-court,” Auriemma explained in the news conference.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Part cultural and religious conference, part trade fair, the Muslim gathering used to be annual, but has in fact not been held since 2019.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Airline stocks have tumbled since the Iran war started, but commentary from CEOs coming from an industry investor conference is proving to be a pivotal day for the sector.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“How did you see what was going on in this conference room before you ran in the front door?” she asked.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

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