confer

[kuh n-fur]

See more synonyms for confer 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.

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

Related formscon·fer·ment, nouncon·fer·ra·ble, adjectivecon·fer·rer, nounnon·con·fer·ra·ble, adjectivepre·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

Synonym study

1. See consult. 2. See give.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for confers

Contemporary Examples

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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

In the play as in history, Charles now confers upon Wentworth an Earldom.
Browning's England
Helen Archibald Clarke
It confers also a benefit similar to that which is derived from a course of arithmetic.
The Aural System
Anonymous
This knowledge is a supernatural gift, which (in the Poimandres) confers ‘deification’.
The Legacy of Greece
Various
I know the happiness it confers upon you to be able to do what you have done.
Fairy Fingers
Anna Cora Mowatt Ritchie
This it is that "gives him immortality," and confers upon him the dignity of manhood.
Jewish Literature and Other Essays
Gustav Karpeles

British Dictionary definitions for confers

confer

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 Formsconferment or conferral, nounconferrable, adjectiveconferrer, noun

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for confers

confer

v.

1530s, from Middle French conférer (14c.) "to give, converse, compare," from Latin conferre "to bring together," figuratively "to compare; consult, deliberate, talk over," from com- "together" (see com-) + ferre "to bear" (see infer). Sense of "taking counsel" led to conference. The meaning "compare" (common 1530-1650) is largely obsolete, but the abbreviation cf. still is used in this sense. Related: Conferred; conferring.

confer

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}confer

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for confers

Contemporary Examples

Clearly, money—having it, what it confers, what it means—is different when you have lots of it.

It confers protection under the law to those who have lacked it.

But it is an unusual right: one which confers not entitlement benefits or other government-granted goodies, but responsibilities.

But still it confers some advantages over the newer, flashier techniques that have come to dominate over the last two decades.

Nevertheless, his idealistic request for wife and mistress to be present confers symbolic legitimacy on both.

Historical Examples

In the play as in history, Charles now confers upon Wentworth an Earldom.

It confers also a benefit similar to that which is derived from a course of arithmetic.

This knowledge is a supernatural gift, which (in the Poimandres) confers ‘deification’.

I know the happiness it confers upon you to be able to do what you have done.

This it is that "gives him immortality," and confers upon him the dignity of manhood.

confer

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for confers

confer

v.

Origin of confer