conference

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A large organized meeting, often lasting several days, where people with a shared profession or interest listen to talks and share ideas.

   Grammar: Takes a/the and is followed by on a subject or in a place: a conference on climate, a conference in Lisbon.

   Patterns

   • a conference on something
   • attend a conference
   • speak at a conference

   She presented her research at a conference in Chicago.

   Over two thousand nurses attended the annual conference.

   The conference on renewable energy begins on Monday.

2. 2nouncountable

   A private discussion between a small number of people about a particular matter.

   Grammar: Often used with in or a possessive: in conference with the principal, a parent-teacher conference.

   Patterns

   • in conference with someone
   • a conference with someone

   The manager is in conference with the lawyers and cannot take calls.

   The teacher requested a conference with the boy's parents.

   The two coaches held a brief conference at the side of the pitch.

3. 3nouncountablesportAmerican

   A group of sports teams that play against each other regularly, especially in North American leagues.

   Grammar: Usually appears with a name or a direction: the Eastern Conference.

   Patterns

   • the Western Conference
   • win the conference

   Their team finished first in the Western Conference.

   The university moved to a bigger athletic conference this year.

Word forms

Common combinations

hold a conference

The university will hold a conference on medieval history in May.

attend a conference

I need to attend a conference in Berlin next week.

press conference

The president called a press conference to announce the news.

conference room

The team met in the conference room on the third floor.

conference call

We have a conference call with the Tokyo office at nine.

keynote speaker at a conference

The keynote speaker at the conference was a famous engineer.

Synonyms and how they differ

convention

Convention usually suggests a bigger, more social gathering of a group or fan community, while conference focuses on talks and learning.

congress

Congress is used for formal, often international gatherings of experts, and also for a governing body, which conference is not.

symposium

Symposium is narrower, usually an academic meeting on a specific subject.

seminar

A seminar is a smaller teaching session, while a conference is bigger and has many speakers.

Word family

confer verb

to discuss something together, or to give an honor or degree

conferee noun

a person who takes part in a conference

conferencing noun

holding meetings between people in different places, usually by video

conferral noun

the act of giving an award or degree

Commonly confused: conference or convention?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “conference”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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