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 a group of 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 of conference

• 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

Activists Salomé García, who focuses on publicizing the plight of political prisoners in Cuba, and Norges Rodríguez, director of YucaByte, which covers censorship and violations of the right to information in Cuba, also demanded that right at the press conference. —Sarah Moreno march 16, Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2026

Minnesota has four appearances in the Women's Frozen Four since then, but Ohio State and Wisconsin have become the conference powers and accounted for every national title since 2018. —CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026

While the Gaels were one-and-done in their conference tournament, Murauskas was stellar in the 76-71 defeat. —Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026

Back-to-back losses to ranked Michigan and Michigan State were setbacks in the middle of conference play before the team finished the season by winning four of its last five games. —Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Mar. 2026

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