conference

[ kon-fer-uhns, -fruhns ]
/ ˈkɒn fər əns, -frəns /

noun

a meeting for consultation or discussion: a conference between a student and his adviser.
the act of conferring or consulting together; consultation, especially on an important or serious matter.
Government. a meeting, as of various committees, to settle disagreements between the two branches of the legislature.
an association of athletic teams; league: an intercollegiate conference.
Ecclesiastical.
  1. an official assembly of clergy or of clergy and laity, customary in many Christian denominations.
  2. a group of churches whose representatives regularly meet in such an assembly.

verb (used without object), con·fer·enced, con·fer·enc·ing.

to hold or participate in a conference or series of conferences.

Origin of conference

From the Medieval Latin word conferentia, dating back to 1530–40. See confer, -ence

synonym study for conference

1. See convention.

OTHER WORDS FROM conference

con·fer·en·tial [kon-fuh-ren-shuhl] /ˌkɒn fəˈrɛn ʃəl/, adjective pre·con·fer·ence, noun sub·con·fer·ence, noun sub·con·fer·en·tial, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for conference

British Dictionary definitions for conference

conference
/ (ˈkɒnfərəns, -frəns) /

noun

a meeting for consultation, exchange of information, or discussion, esp one with a formal agenda
a formal meeting of two or more states, political groups, etc, esp to discuss differences or formulate common policy
an assembly of the clergy or of clergy and laity of any of certain Protestant Christian Churches acting as representatives of their denomination the Methodist conference
sport a league or division of clubs or teams
rare an act of bestowal

Derived forms of conference

conferential (ˌkɒnfəˈrɛnʃəl), adjective

Word Origin for conference

C16: from Medieval Latin conferentia, from Latin conferre to bring together; see confer