MEANING
1. To discuss a matter with another person or group.
2. To bestow or grant a distinction, power, benefit, or status.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- confer privately
- confer with a colleague
On the page
They conferred privately before returning to the assembly.
She conferred with the archivist over the damaged entry.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- confer
- Past tense
- conferred
- Past participle
- conferred
- Present participle
- conferring
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- confer
- Present continuous
- am/is/are conferring
- Present perfect
- have/has conferred
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been conferring
- Past
- conferred
- Past continuous
- was/were conferring
- Past perfect
- had conferred
- Past perfect continuous
- had been conferring
- Future
- will confer
- Future continuous
- will be conferring
- Future perfect
- will have conferred
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been conferring
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: confer; confers; conferred; conferred; conferring Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: confers.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.