confer
verb
con·fer
| \ kən-ˈfər
\
\
conferred;
conferring
Definition of confer
: to compare views or take counsel : consult
1
: to bestow from or as if from a position of superiority
conferred an honorary degree on her knowing how to read was a gift conferred with manhood— Murray Kempton
2
: to give (something, such as a property or characteristic) to someone or something
a reputation for power will confer power— John Spanier
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from confer
conferment
\ kən-ˈfər-mənt
\
noun
\
noun
conferrable
\ kən-ˈfər-ə-bəl
\
adjective
\
adjective
conferral
\ kən-ˈfər-əl
\
noun
\
noun
conferrer
\ kən-ˈfər-ər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of confer in a Sentence
The cameleers … conferred with each other about the safest path across.
— Greg Child, Mixed Emotions: Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child, 1993
He liked the ease and glitter of the life, and the lustre conferred on him by being a member of this group of rich and conspicuous people.
— Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, 1905
It was a traditional compliment to be whinged at by an Englishman. It was his way of saying he trusted you, he was conferring upon you the privilege of getting to know the real him.
— Margaret Atwood, New Yorker, 5 Mar.1990
The lawyer and judge conferred about the ruling.
the British monarch continues to confer knighthood on those who are outstanding in their fields of endeavor
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
This season the shiny coat will confer an up-to-the-minute aura on its wearer. — Sharon Graubard, courant.com, "Fashion report: Cool classics for fall," 15 Aug. 2019 He was earlier conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1966. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "The man who established India’s space programme and its premier B-school turns 100," 11 Aug. 2019 And any benefit devaluation might confer to China's exporters would be more than offset by increasing costs for Chinese imports, especially in the two biggest product categories: semiconductors and oil. — Fortune, "The Week Trump and Xi Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Trade War—CEO Daily," 10 Aug. 2019 Mueller can confer with Zebley during questioning, but the attorney cannot answer questions. — Allan Smith, NBC News, "Trump unleashes tweetstorm ahead of Mueller testimony," 24 July 2019 The French Open conferring on players three serves? — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Seven Reasons Why Mid-Match Coaching is a Terrible Idea," 19 June 2019 In turn, racial prejudice confers social privilege to some and social and physical disparities to others, and is widely expressed in hierarchies that privilege people with white skin over people with darker skin colors. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "Race and ethnicity: How are they different?," 12 June 2019 Out of about 1,100 community colleges nationwide, LSC ranks fifth in conferring associate degrees to students, according to the latest complete data available from the National Center for Educational Statistics. — Jane Stueckemann, Houston Chronicle, "Montgomery County education briefs: May 27-31," 4 June 2019 And, as Greece doesn't confer birthright citizenship, Aldaoud was a citizen of Iraq because of his parents. — David K. Li, NBC News, "Michigan man who had never been to Iraq was deported there. He couldn't get insulin and died.," 8 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for confer
confer
verb
English Language Learners Definition of confer
formal
: to discuss something important in order to make a decision
: to give (something, such as a degree, award, title, right, etc.) to someone or something
See the full definition for confer in the English Language Learners Dictionary
confer
verb
con·fer
| \ kən-ˈfər
\
\
conferred;
conferring
Kids Definition of confer
2