conference

noun

con·​fer·​ence ˈkän-f(ə-)rən(t)s 

-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

kən-ˈfər-ən(t)s 

: 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

ˌkän-fə-ˈren(t)-shəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• assembly
• meeting
• assemblage
• gathering
• symposium

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

Buffalo will have to prove this season that the conference no longer runs through Kansas City. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Fernandez did not specify which roles were under review, and Unilever declined to comment on his address at the Barclays conference. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025

Speaking at a Bank of America conference Wednesday, Scott Greenstein, president and chief content officer and SiriusXM, pointed to the importance of Stern’s show for the company (Stern is seen as one of the big draws for satellite radio subscribers). —Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025

During the news conference, Stivers described UofL as an economic engine for not only Louisville but Kentucky as a whole. —Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025

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

Phrases Containing conference

• conference call
• news conference
• press conference

Kids Definition

conference

noun

con·​fer·​ence ˈkän-f(ə-)rən(t)s 

-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 

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

also : conference committee

3

: caucus