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.
The idea of a strategic reserve of digital tokens like bitcoin has long been floated in cryptocurrency circles, but gained traction this summer, when both Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, discussed it at the annual Bitcoin conference. Rob Wile, NBC News, 23 Jan. 2025 In the same way people trusted me after that first conference, thousands of new clients began trusting me through my online presence. Rafael Alatorre, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 Those wins count the same as any others in the conference standings, but the league’s West Coast newcomers aren’t steeped in old-school Big Ten animosity the way Michigan’s other conference opponents are. Austin Meek, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025 The date and opponent for UM’s ACC opener will be announced on ACC Network at 4 p.m. Friday, and the entire conference schedule (mostly without times) will be announced at 9 p.m. Monday. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025 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 27 Jan. 2025.

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

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