confer

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/kənˈfɜːr/
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Formal consultation and official bestowal, with an older comparison sense that survives mainly in historical notes and cf. references.
Practice using confer in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • The editor and designer conferred about the layout.
  • The judge's ruling conferred no special privilege on the company.
  • These credentials confer access to the archive.
  • The editor conferred the manuscript readings before choosing a line.
  • The committee will confer with city officials next week.

Similar words

juxtapose
collate
vest
grant
contrast
give
meet
award
negotiate
bestow

Meanings

Consult together

verb
communication
formal
To talk with another person or group in order to exchange views, seek advice, or decide what to do.

Usage

Use confer for a purposeful consultation, especially in professional, official, or careful decision-making contexts.

Examples

  • The doctors conferred before recommending surgery.
  • The two lawyers conferred in the hallway.
  • The committee will confer with city officials next week.
  • After reviewing the figures, they conferred on the next step.
  • The editor and designer conferred about the layout.

Common mistakes

The third-person -s is dropped in forms such as he confer.
IncorrectCorrect
He confer with the legal team every Friday. He confers with the legal team every Friday.
The doctors confered before the operation. The doctors conferred before the operation.
We conferred the proposal for an hour. We conferred about the proposal for an hour.

Similar words

consult
deliberate
discuss
converse
parley
meet
negotiate

Grant or bestow

verb
official
formal
To give someone or something a title, right, honor, quality, or advantage through an official act or recognized power.

Usage

Use confer when the giving carries authority, status, or a formal effect, most often with on or upon.

Examples

  • The university conferred a degree on each graduate.
  • The treaty confers certain rights on foreign residents.
  • The judge's ruling conferred no special privilege on the company.
  • The medal conferred honor on the rescue team.
  • These credentials confer access to the archive.

Common mistakes

The doubled r is often missed in conferred and conferring.
IncorrectCorrect
The university confered a degree on each graduate. The university conferred a degree on each graduate.
The charter confers to the board new powers. The charter confers new powers on the board.
The award conferred with her a new title. The award conferred a new title on her.

Similar words

grant
bestow
award
give
vest
endow
present
accord

Compare texts or things

verb
historical
archaic
To set texts, readings, or objects beside one another for comparison, a sense now mostly preserved in old scholarship and the abbreviation cf.

Usage

Use confer in this sense only when explaining older English or source notes, since modern English normally uses compare.

Examples

  • Older notes may ask the reader to confer one passage with another.
  • The editor conferred the manuscript readings before choosing a line.
  • A marginal confer once meant compare this place with another source.
  • The instruction to confer the variants sounds archaic today.
  • Scholars now usually write compare where older writers used confer.

Common mistakes

Modern comparison is mistakenly expressed with archaic confer.
IncorrectCorrect
Please confer these two prices before buying. Please compare these two prices before buying.
The report confers sales figures across years. The report compares sales figures across years.
Confer your answer with the key. Compare your answer with the key.

Similar words

compare
collate
juxtapose
contrast
check

Usage

Use confer where the setting is formal: people confer with one another, while authorities confer titles, rights, or advantages on someone.

Common mistakes

Confered is misspelled, because the past form and participle are conferred, with a doubled r.

Etymology

From Latin conferre, meaning 'bring together', through French and early modern English. The root idea of bringing together lies behind consultation, bestowal, and the older comparison sense.

FAQ

What does confer mean?

Confer usually means to consult formally with someone, or to grant a title, right, honor, or advantage.

Is confer formal?

Yes. Confer is more formal than talk or give, and it often appears in professional, legal, academic, or official contexts.

What is the past tense of confer?

The past tense and past participle are conferred, with a doubled r.

Do you confer with someone or confer on someone?

People confer with others when they consult them, while an authority confers a title, right, or benefit on someone.

Can confer mean compare?

It can in older English, but that sense is archaic. Modern English normally uses compare, except in historical discussion or cf. notes.

What is the difference between confer and grant?

Grant is broader. Confer suggests a formal act that gives status, authority, a right, or a recognized advantage.

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