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 At the tech conference CES in January, Yaccarino hyped Lemon’s forthcoming show as part of X’s expanding slate of exclusive video offerings. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 When Kerr talks about his research at conferences, nurses tend to nod their heads in approval; doctors roll their eyes in disbelief. Phoebe Zerwick, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 More:Last day of 2024 session: Bills get resurrected and gaming language rouses concern When lawmakers wrapped up Friday, conference committees resurrected language from dead bills, including some that did not passed one chamber but not the other. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 Days ahead of a big web design conference and with rent coming due, Gebbia sent Chesky one of the most consequential emails in business history. Jordan McGillis, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024 Comment: No team in the conference is playing better than CU, which has won six in a row and climbed back onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 Routt is scheduled to appear in court next for a status conference April 16. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2024 How the teams around Kansas in the standings do this weekend will help determine Kansas’ seed for the Big 12 Tournament — Texas Tech is tied with KU for the fourth spot in the conference. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 This was my first time going to the Upfront Summit, an invite-only VC conference. Byallie Garfinkle, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conference.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 19 Mar. 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

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