To confer means to have a serious discussion with someone, usually to make a decision or solve a problem together. When teachers confer with each other about a student's progress, they're sharing observations and ideas. When a coach confers with team captains during a timeout, they're talking through strategy. The word suggests something more formal and purposeful than just chatting: people confer when they need to combine their knowledge or authority to figure something out.

Confer also means to grant or give something official, like an honor or a title. A university confers degrees on graduates at commencement. A mayor might confer an award on a firefighter for bravery. In this sense, conferring something means officially bestowing it through ceremony or formal recognition.

You might hear adults say “let me confer with my colleague” when they need a moment to discuss something privately before giving an answer.