confer
Americanverb (used without object)
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confers,
present (3rd person singular)
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conferred,
past participle, past
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conferring
present participle
verb (used with object)
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confers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
conferred,
past participle, past
-
conferring
present participle
-
to bestow upon as a gift, favor, honor, etc..
to confer a degree on a graduate.
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Obsolete. to compare.
verb
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(tr; foll by on or upon) to grant or bestow (an honour, gift, etc)
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(intr) to hold or take part in a conference or consult together
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(tr) an obsolete word for compare
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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confermentnoun
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conferrernoun
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reconferverb
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preconferverb (used without object)
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conferrableadjective
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nonconferrableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confersimple
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conferssimple
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have conferredperfect
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has conferredperfect
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am conferringprogressive
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are conferringprogressive
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is conferringprogressive
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have been conferringperfect progressive
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has been conferringperfect progressive
Past
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conferredsimple
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had conferredperfect
-
was conferringprogressive
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were conferringprogressive
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had been conferringperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing confer
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Refugee
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Once a weapon is used in battle, and once it shows itself to confer an advantage, it becomes much more difficult for countries to give that up,” Jenkins said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Different types of workouts also confer their own benefits when it comes to health and weight maintenance.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
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
They confer the same economic and legal ownership, dividend and governance rights as their underlying shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
‘But I suppose I will have to confer the award on Lancy Davis.’
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Our hypermasculine era has already championed testosterone as a buzzword—an elixir that confers virility, confidence and power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
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
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
Mr. Kidd describes this as “a spectacular breach of conventional academic protocol,” especially as the dons conferred unopposed—on the same day—an honorary degree on Alessandro Pertini, the 88-year-old Italian president.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
He and Flores sat quietly, wearing headphones for translation while their attorneys conferred with the judge.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
It’s clear they also wanted to maintain the impunity conferred by America’s superpower status.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Besides the savings, the status conferred from having the credit card meant he was able to check bags, free of charge, and receive upgrades to business-class seats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
They conferred for a few minutes and finally the bug looked up and said, “Can you describe yourself?”
From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster
This status brought “a safety premium,” conferring lower everyday borrowing costs for the U.S. and virtually unlimited financing capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Downing Street published a list of the nominations, external and said the King "has been graciously pleased to signify his intention of conferring peerages".
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
A firefighting aircraft was able to fly over the fire Monday and was conferring with firefighters on the ground to decide whether it would be possible to use more aircraft, Theune said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
As the Bank of Southwark went public in Philadelphia, investors hired muscular goons to sign their names into the subscription books conferring the right to buy shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Two of my aunts are conferring in the bathroom but I can’t hear what they’re saying.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
