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 committee will confer with city officials next week.
  • The treaty confers certain rights on foreign residents.
  • Older notes may ask the reader to confer one passage with another.
  • The doctors conferred before recommending surgery.
  • The editor conferred the manuscript readings before choosing a line.

Similar words

contrast
compare
bestow
vest
meet
give
parley
juxtapose
converse
consult

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Similar words

compare
collate
juxtapose
contrast
check

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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