conference

noun

con·​fer·​ence ˈkän-f(ə-)rən(t)s How to pronounce conference (audio)
-fərn(t)s,
 for sense 2 usually  kən-ˈfər-ən(t)s
1
a
: a meeting of two or more persons for discussing matters of common concern
The president is in conference with his advisers.
b
: a usually formal interchange of views : consultation
a conference on climate change
c
: a meeting of members of the two branches of a legislature to adjust differences
d
: caucus
2
or less commonly conferrence : bestowal, conferment
the conference of academic degrees
3
a
: a representative assembly or administrative organization of a religious denomination
b
: a territorial division of a religious denomination
4
: an association of athletic teams
a football conference
conferential adjective

Examples of conference in a Sentence

The organization held its annual conference in New York this year. national conferences on women's health a conference of foreign ministers Our boss called a conference to discuss the new changes. He spent an hour in conference with the president. the champions of the American Football Conference
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s almost no doubt the Pioneers will hear their names on Monday as one of 26 at-large bids in the 48-team field with quality wins over top programs and a narrow conference title-game loss. Braidon Nourse, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024 The Spartans opened up with two passing touchdowns for a 14-0 lead to immediately put the Mountain West conference leaders on edge. Andrew Hartley, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024 Wahl began the news conference by saying that the situation could have been much worse. Nbc San Diego, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024 On Wednesday, he’s expected to join Trump at the House Republican conference, CNN reports, as members participate in leadership elections. William Gavin, Quartz, 13 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for conference 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French and Medieval Latin; Middle French conference, borrowed from Medieval Latin conferentia "contribution, discussion," noun derivative from conferent-, conferens, present participle of conferre "to bring or take, convey, bring together" — more at confer

First Known Use

1527, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of conference was in 1527

Dictionary Entries Near conference

Cite this Entry

“Conference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conference. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

conference

noun
con·​fer·​ence ˈkän-f(ə-)rən(t)s How to pronounce conference (audio)
-fərn(t)s
1
: a meeting for discussion or exchange of opinions
also : the discussion itself
2
: a meeting of members of the two branches of a legislature to settle differences
3
: an association of athletic teams
a football conference

Legal Definition

conference

noun
con·​fer·​ence ˈkän-frəns, -fə-rəns How to pronounce conference (audio)
1
: a meeting for consultation, deliberation, discussion, or interchange of opinions
a conference on environmental law
see also judicial conference, pretrial conference
2
: a meeting of members of the two branches of a legislature especially to adjust differences in the provisions of a bill passed in different forms by the two branches
3
: caucus

More from Merriam-Webster on conference

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!