conference

1 a body of people come together in one place the conference voted to conclude that day's meeting and to resume discussions the next morning Synonyms assemblage, assembly, gathering, congregation, convocation, ingathering, meeting, musterRelated Words company, consort, coterie, gang, pack; caucus, forum, market, panel, rally, symposium, synod; audience, gallery, grandstand, house; crowd, flock, horde, legion, multitude, press, swarm, throng; crush, mob, rabble, rabblement

2 a meeting featuring a group discussion a conference on the need for international cooperation in combating emerging viruses Synonyms colloquy, forum, council, panel, panel discussion, parley, powwow, round-robin, roundtable, seminar, symposiumRelated Words colloquium; caucus, town meeting; assembly, conclave, congregation, congress, consistory, convention, convocation, synod; debate, deliberation; brainstorming; chat room, newsgroup

3 an exchange of views for the purpose of exploring a subject or deciding an issue a parent-teacher conference to discuss a student having trouble in school Synonyms argument, argumentation, argy-bargy [chiefly British], back-and-forth, colloquy, confab, confabulation, discussion, consult, consultation, council, counsel, debate, deliberation, dialogue (also dialog), give-and-take, palaver, parley, talkRelated Words bull session, chat room, forum, meeting, powwow, roundtable, seminar, skull session (also skull practice), symposium, talkathon; chat, conversation, rap, words; discourse, disquisition; bargaining, consultancy, negotiation, pourparler