conference
noun
con·fer·ence
ˈkän-f(ə-)rən(t)s 
-fərn(t)s
for sense 2 usually
kən-ˈfər-ən(t)s
1
a
: a meeting of two or more persons for discussing matters of common concern
The president is in conference with a group of advisers.
b
: a usually formal interchange of views : consultation
a conference on climate change
c
: a meeting of members of the two branches of a legislature to adjust differences
d
: caucus
2
or less commonly conferrence
: bestowal, conferment
the conference of academic degrees
3
a
: a representative assembly or administrative organization of a religious denomination
b
: a territorial division of a religious denomination
4
: an association of athletic teams
a football conference
Examples of conference in a Sentence
The organization held its annual conference in New York this year.
national conferences on women's health
a conference of foreign ministers
Our boss called a conference to discuss the new changes.
He spent an hour in conference with the president.
the champions of the American Football Conference
Recent Examples on the Web
Police Chief Stacey Graves said during a Wednesday evening news conference that law enforcement officials consider Sanchez-Munoz to be armed and dangerous.
—
Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
Pastor Brian Leong recalls a life-changing moment at a ministers' conference several years ago when the speaker challenged the audience.
—Sharon Chin, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Sam Robinson—Jerry Tarkanian’s first recruit to Long Beach, Robinson led the 49ers to a pair of conference titles.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
Germany’s representatives to the treaty conference protested vigorously and signed the treaty only under threat of an allied invasion that would begin within a week.
—Pamela Avila, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for conference
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Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
Pastor Brian Leong recalls a life-changing moment at a ministers' conference several years ago when the speaker challenged the audience.
—Sharon Chin, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Sam Robinson—Jerry Tarkanian’s first recruit to Long Beach, Robinson led the 49ers to a pair of conference titles.
—Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
Germany’s representatives to the treaty conference protested vigorously and signed the treaty only under threat of an allied invasion that would begin within a week.
—Pamela Avila, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for conference
Cite this Entry
“Conference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conference. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conference
noun
con·fer·ence
ˈkän-f(ə-)rən(t)s
-fərn(t)s
1
: a meeting for discussion or exchange of opinions
also
: the discussion itself
2
: a meeting of members of the two branches of a legislature to settle differences
3
: an association of athletic teams
a football conference
Legal Definition
conference
noun
con·fer·ence
ˈkän-frəns, -fə-rəns
1
: a meeting for consultation, deliberation, discussion, or interchange of opinions
a conference on environmental law
see also judicial conference, pretrial conference
2
: a meeting of members of the two branches of a legislature especially to adjust differences in the provisions of a bill passed in different forms by the two branches
also
: conference committee
3
: caucus
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