Synonym Chooser

How does the verb confer contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of confer are afford, bestow, donate, give, and present. While all these words mean "to convey to another as a possession," confer implies a gracious giving (as of a favor or honor).

confer an honorary degree

In what contexts can afford take the place of confer?

While the synonyms afford and confer are close in meaning, afford implies a giving or bestowing usually as a natural or legitimate consequence of the character of the giver.

the trees afford shade
a development that affords us some hope

When can bestow be used instead of confer?

The meanings of bestow and confer largely overlap; however, bestow implies the conveying of something as a gift and may suggest condescension on the part of the giver.

bestow unwanted advice

When might donate be a better fit than confer?

In some situations, the words donate and confer are roughly equivalent. However, donate is likely to imply a publicized giving (as to charity).

donate a piano to the orphanage

When could give be used to replace confer?

The words give and confer can be used in similar contexts, but give, the general term, is applicable to any passing over of anything by any means.

give alms
gave her a ride on a pony
give my love to your mother

When is it sensible to use present instead of confer?

While in some cases nearly identical to confer, present carries a note of formality and ceremony.

present an award

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of confer Over time, the population accumulates mutations and sometimes one of them confers an advantage to the species. D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025 The degrees will be conferred May 9, 2026, Arnn said. John Wisely, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025 These apps are built for the sole purpose of conferring with people about their mental health, see my coverage at the link here. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 As a result, high-sodium vegetable juices may reduce the benefits conferred by medications like diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confer
Verb
  • After all, this is a Nashville agency that’s grappled with plenty of turbulence directly related to its grant-making process, so much so that the city determined the commission must be granted approval for its award criteria by the Metro Nashville Council.
    Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Oct. 2025
  • While the Court of Claims didn’t grant a motion to dismiss the case, a Court of Appeals panel did in May 2024, with MIRC ultimately appealing the decision to the Michigan Supreme Court.
    Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The county selected San Diego’s Policy & Innovation Center to create and oversee ELEVATE in conjunction with the workforce consulting firm Trailhead Strategies.
    Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Instead, consult municipal hazardous waste collection centers.
    Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The design software vendor's stocks climbed 7% after Altman discussed Figma's integration into ChatGPT, and showed how third-party applications could plug in with OpenAI's Apps software development framework.
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
  • That particular topic is probably the most controversial topic in the world, but there's still a lot of editorial safeguards in place where people can discuss things.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Confer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confer. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

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