• (British) IPA: /ˈkɒn.fɹəns/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈkɒn.fə.ɹəns/
• (America) IPA: /ˈkɑn.fə.ɹəns/, [ˈkʰɑɱ.fɹəns], [ˈkʰɑɱ.fɹn̩s]

conference (plural conferences)

1. The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     Nor with such free and friendly conference / As he hath used of old.

2. (politics) A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.
3. (science) A formal event where scientists present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.
4. (business) An event organized by a for-profit or non-profit organization to discuss a pressing issue, such as a new product, market trend or government regulation, with a range of speakers.
5. (sports) A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.
6. (Philippines, sports) A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.
7. (obsolete) The act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.

   • helps and furtherances which […] the mutual conference of all men's collections and observations may afford

8. (Methodist Church) A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.
9. A voluntary association of Congregational churches of a district; the district in which such churches are.

• French: conférence
• German: Konferenz, Tagung
• Italian: conferenza
• Portuguese: conferência
• Russian: конфере́нция
• Spanish: conferencia

conference (conferences, present participle conferencing; past and past participle conferenced)

1. (ambitransitive, education) To assess (a student) by one-on-one conversation, rather than an examination.
   • 2009, Jennifer Berne, The Writing-Rich High School Classroom

     The students who were conferenced on paper 1 will get a written response to paper 2, and those who received a written response to paper 1 will be conferenced on paper 2.

conference (plural conferences)

1. A cultivar of pear rfclarify en