conference
gb/kˈɑnfɚəns/ us/kˈɑnfɚəns/
B1
English
~ 1000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
event
1
Formal meeting for discussion
A planned meeting where people talk about a subject or make decisions.
Usage pattern:
a conference on [topic]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'conference' with 'seminar' or 'lecture'. A conference usually has multiple sessions and participants, while a seminar or lecture is often just one talk.
Synonyms
meeting (More general; can be informal or formal, while 'conference' is usually formal and organized.)
|
convention (Often larger in scale and may include exhibitions or public events.)
Antonyms
private discussion (An informal or one-on-one conversation, without the formal structure of a conference.)
Collocations
attend a conference
|hold a conference
|international conference
|press conference
|video conference
Themes
business
|education
|politics
|work
|communication
Examples
- The company will hold its annual sales conference next month.
- She attended a conference on climate change in Paris.
- The press conference was broadcast live on television.
- We met many potential clients at the technology conference.
- The academic conference featured speakers from around the world.
Learner examples
- I went to a business conference last week.
- The school had a conference about safety.
- He spoke at a big science conference.
- We will have a conference tomorrow at 10.
- They are planning a conference for teachers.
Noun
B2
event
2
Meeting for negotiation or resolution
A meeting to talk about and solve problems or make agreements.
Usage pattern:
a conference between [groups/people]
Synonyms
negotiation meeting (Focuses more on the act of bargaining than the broader range of purposes a 'conference' can have.)
Antonyms
conflict (The absence of peaceful discussion; active disagreement instead of negotiation.)
Collocations
peace conference
|diplomatic conference
|labor conference
Themes
politics
|business
|law
|communication
Examples
- The peace conference brought together leaders from both sides of the conflict.
- Union representatives attended a labor conference with management.
- Diplomats met at an emergency conference to address the crisis.
Learner examples
- The two countries had a conference to stop the war.
- We had a conference to fix the problem.
- The workers went to a conference with the boss.
Noun
technical
B2
entity
3
Sports league division
A group of sports teams that play mostly against each other in a league.
Usage pattern:
[team] plays in the [name] Conference
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'conference' with 'tournament'. A conference is an ongoing group in a season, while a tournament is a short event.
Synonyms
division (In sports, 'division' is similar but may be smaller than a 'conference'.)
Collocations
Eastern Conference
|Western Conference
|conference championship
Themes
sports
Examples
- The Lakers are part of the Western Conference.
- Our team won the conference championship this year.
- The Eastern Conference has several strong teams this season.
Learner examples
- Our team is in the West Conference.
- They won the conference title.
- He plays for a team in the East Conference.
Grammar
Dictionary form
conference
IPA
GB/kˈɑnfɚəns/
US/kˈɑnfɚəns/
Syllables & stress
con - fer - ence (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (con)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: conference
- Plural: conference, conferences
Word family
Forms
conferences
noun
Core family
confer
verb C1
conferencing
noun
Related words
conferee
noun
teleconference
noun
videoconference
noun
Advanced or less common
conferment
noun
Expressions
conference call
1/kˈɑnfɚəns kˈɔl/
fixed phrase
Multi-person phone or online call
A phone or internet call with several people talking together.
Examples
- I have a conference call with the client at 3 p.m.
- We discussed the project during yesterday's conference call.
press conference
1/pɹˈɛs kˈɑnfɚəns/
fixed phrase
Meeting with journalists to give information
A meeting where someone answers questions from news reporters.
Examples
- The president held a press conference to announce the new policy.
- After the game, the coach spoke at a press conference.
video conference
1/vˈɪdioʊ kˈɑnfɚəns/
fixed phrase
Online meeting with video link
A meeting where people talk to each other using video over the internet.
Examples
- We held a video conference with our partners in Japan.
- The team meets weekly by video conference.