1
as in granting
to give the ownership or benefit of (something) formally or publicly the British monarch continues to confer knighthood on those who are outstanding in their fields of endeavor
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2
as in consulting
to exchange viewpoints or seek advice for the purpose of finding a solution to a problem my parents are going to confer with a financial adviser about saving for their retirement
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Recent Examples of conferring After conferring, Robinson and the other justices returned the case to the lower court for further proceedings. —
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026 The pair are chaos agents who, in conferring the benefit of sudden wealth, lure the recipients into corruption. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 By 1911 all Australian states except Tasmania had enacted legislation conferring broad powers over First Peoples to a Protection Board or Chief Protector. —Roland Martin, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026 In my view, by conferring this title on Summers, Harvard is signaling that powerful men can outlast gross misconduct with their honorifics intact. —Yana Van Der Meulen Rodgers, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026 At City Hall, before taking council members’ public comments, the committee went into executive session, conferring privately while a large crowd waited for members to address the billion-dollar question in open session. —Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026 The neighborhood/area Mount Etna’s dark mass looms over Zash and the surrounding area, conferring special energy and fertile soil where olive groves, fruit trees, and more exotic cacti and banana trees vie for space. —Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026 Sitting with Cucinelli is like conferring with a living history book. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026 Later, after conferring with the official, Izzo had clarification on Davis’ transgression. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 31 Mar. 2026 The pair are chaos agents who, in conferring the benefit of sudden wealth, lure the recipients into corruption. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 By 1911 all Australian states except Tasmania had enacted legislation conferring broad powers over First Peoples to a Protection Board or Chief Protector. —Roland Martin, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2026 In my view, by conferring this title on Summers, Harvard is signaling that powerful men can outlast gross misconduct with their honorifics intact. —Yana Van Der Meulen Rodgers, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026 At City Hall, before taking council members’ public comments, the committee went into executive session, conferring privately while a large crowd waited for members to address the billion-dollar question in open session. —Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026 The neighborhood/area Mount Etna’s dark mass looms over Zash and the surrounding area, conferring special energy and fertile soil where olive groves, fruit trees, and more exotic cacti and banana trees vie for space. —Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026 Sitting with Cucinelli is like conferring with a living history book. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026 Later, after conferring with the official, Izzo had clarification on Davis’ transgression. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conferring
Verb
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If no one is giving you money, or loaning you money, or granting you money, well, the options for where a microbudget feature’s money comes from are very few.— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 29 Apr. 2026
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And ComEd benefited enormously from the arrangement, the opinion noted, getting Madigan’s help in passing key legislation granting a formula rate, investing in electric grid infrastructure and rescuing two underperforming nuclear power plants owned by the utility’s parent company.— Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The key question for the AI era is whether cheaper legal memos, financial models, and consulting decks will similarly unlock dormant, unmet demand at scale—or whether most of that demand was already being served, and AI is simply doing the same work with fewer people.— Jake Angelo, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
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Statistical Forecasting, the consulting firm that the city hires to model enrollment for school capital investment, projects that enrollment will drop another 11 percent in the next five years in the city’s traditional public schools.— Marc Novicoff, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For the second time this week, the state Senate spent hours discussing complicated technology legislation, with lawmakers once again advancing a bill over strong objections that regulating rapidly changing technology could negatively affect local businesses.— P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026
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At the start of the episode, the Awards Circuit Roundtable is back — and discussing some of the biggest Emmy news, including how submissions are down and what that will mean for this year’s race.— Michael Schneider, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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My issue is that over the years, my massage therapist has started talking to me more and more during the massage session and occasionally talks to me the entire session.— R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
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To improve your sleep, the organization suggests minimizing disruptions before bed (yes, including screens) and talking to your doctor to solve any potential issues like sleep apnea.— Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Conferring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/conferring. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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