What does conferring mean?
"Conferring" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "confer", and it carries two distinct but related meanings. Its older sense means to exchange views in consultation — to sit down with others and deliberate before reaching a decision, as when lawyers are conferring over a case or executives are conferring by phone. A second, more ceremonial sense means to formally grant or bestow something, such as an honorary degree, a knighthood, or a legal right; universities are said to be conferring degrees when they award them at graduation. Both senses descend from the Latin "conferre", meaning "to bring together", which also underlies words like "conference", "refer", and "transfer". The word belongs chiefly to formal registers: committee minutes, academic ceremonies, legal documents, and news reporting. It is useful precisely because it signals seriousness and deliberateness — whether people are putting their heads together, or an institution is officially granting an honour, conferring implies that something meaningful is being weighed or given.
Present participle and gerund of 'confer': (1) to consult or discuss with others in order to decide something; (2) to formally bestow an honour, degree, or benefit.
"The directors were conferring late into the evening on the merger proposal."
(Gerund use) The act of consulting or deliberating with others, or of bestowing an honour or benefit.
"The conferring of awards took place during the morning ceremony."
As a noun, usually found in formal phrases such as 'the conferring of degrees' rather than standing alone.
When a university confers a degree, it's literally 'bringing it together' with the graduate — the same Latin verb that gives us 'conference'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of conferring
"Confer" derives from the Latin "conferre", formed from "com-" (together) and "ferre" (to bring or carry), so its root sense is "to bring together" — ideas in discussion, or honours onto recipients. It entered English in the early modern period, with the discussion sense appearing first and the bestowal sense developing later. The same Latin verb "ferre" produced a family of English borrowings including "refer", "transfer", "defer", and "prefer", all built on prefixes attached to that one root.
Related word forms
How conferring is actually used
Formal in register in both senses. In academic contexts, 'conferring' almost always refers to the formal awarding of degrees at graduation ceremonies. The two senses are distinguished by structure: the discussion sense takes 'with' plus a person ('conferring with a colleague'), while the bestowal sense takes a direct object of what is given ('conferring a medal').
Easily confused with conferring
'Concurring' means agreeing or happening at the same time, while 'conferring' means discussing together or bestowing something.