confer

[ kuhn-fur ]

/ kənˈfɜr /

See synonyms for: confer / conferred / conferring / confers on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), con·ferred, con·fer·ring.

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

verb (used with object), con·ferred, con·fer·ring.

to bestow upon as a gift, favor, honor, etc.: to confer a degree on a graduate.

Obsolete. to compare.

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Origin of confer

1400–50 for earlier sense “to summon”; 1520–30 for current senses; late Middle English conferen<Latin conferre to bring together, compare, consult with, equivalent to con-con- + ferre to carry, bear¹

synonym study for confer

1. See consult. 2. See give.

OTHER WORDS FROM confer

con·fer·ment, nouncon·fer·ra·ble, adjectivecon·fer·rer, nounnon·con·fer·ra·ble, adjective

pre·con·fer, verb (used without object), pre·con·ferred, pre·con·fer·ring.re·con·fer, verb, re·con·ferred, re·con·fer·ring.un·con·ferred, adjectivewell-con·ferred, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for confer

Clearly, money—having it, what it confers, what it means—is different when you have lots of it.
Sting and Hillary Are Just Like You: How the Very Rich Play at Being Very Ordinary|Tim Teeman|June 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It confers protection under the law to those who have lacked it.
New Report Says Same-Sex Marriage Is Good for Public Health|Russell Saunders|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But it is an unusual right: one which confers not entitlement benefits or other government-granted goodies, but responsibilities.
Immigration Reform and the GOP’s Anti-Gay Suicide Mission|Jonathan Rauch|May 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But still it confers some advantages over the newer, flashier techniques that have come to dominate over the last two decades.
Depression Is Linked to Hyperconnectivity of Brain Regions, a New Study Shows|Casey Schwartz|February 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Nevertheless, his idealistic request for wife and mistress to be present confers symbolic legitimacy on both.
Chile's Etiquette of Love|Tracy Quan|October 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But a woman, of course, has no capacity of the kind, and no title accordingly to the liberation which it confers.
Ancient Law|Sir Henry James Sumner Maine
At present, that element of slavery which is properly called domestic, confers incalculable advantages on the slave.
Lectures on the Philosophy and Practice of Slavery|William A. Smith
In other words, it ionises a molecule of the gas or confers its electric charge upon it.
The Birth-Time of the World and Other Scientific Essays|J. (John) Joly
Givers also will desist from giving to him who receives only, and confers no benefits, so that he must fail in receiving.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume II (of 3)|Strabo
Its stimulus wears off quickly and leaves a corresponding depression, but it confers half an hour of capability of intense effort.
Habits that Handicap|Charles B. Towns

British Dictionary definitions for confer

confer

/ (kənˈfɜː) /

verb -fers, -ferring or -ferred

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

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

(tr) an obsolete word for compare

Derived forms of confer

conferment or conferral, nounconferrable, adjectiveconferrer, noun

Word Origin for confer

C16: from Latin conferre to gather together, compare, from com- together + ferre to bring

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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confer

verb (used without object), con·ferred, con·fer·ring.

verb (used with object), con·ferred, con·fer·ring.

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Origin of confer

synonym study for confer

OTHER WORDS FROM confer

Example sentences from the Web for confer

British Dictionary definitions for confer

verb -fers, -ferring or -ferred

Derived forms of confer

Word Origin for confer

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

confer

verb (used without object), con·ferred, con·fer·ring.

verb (used with object), con·ferred, con·fer·ring.

QUIZZES

LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!

Origin of confer

synonym study for confer

OTHER WORDS FROM confer

Words related to confer

Example sentences from the Web for confer

British Dictionary definitions for confer

verb -fers, -ferring or -ferred

Derived forms of confer

Word Origin for confer