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to confer with

to confer with

25 4.5
Talk about something with someone to share ideas or make a decision
  • phrasal verb
  • /kənˈfɜr wɪð/
translation icon : consultar con
  • Excuse me, I need to confer with my colleague.
  • confer with students
  • confer with the manager
  • confer with teachers

The battle raged on as Goodlatte refused to let Strock confer with the FBI counsel.

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Examples

  • I wish to confer with the prisoner.

  • I'd like to confer with my colleague.

  • Your Honor, may I have a moment to confer with the witness?

  • The President walks over to David and confers with him quickly, then goes to the players.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Lester, I need to confer with my client.

  • Before proceeding, defense would like to take a moment to confer with the prosecution.

  • Other sources also support the need for faculty to confer frequently with doctoral students.

    Academic text (2007)
  • I planned to read everyone's work at home and confer privately with each student.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Your Honor, the defense respectfully requests a continuance of 60 days - so that I may confer with my client.

  • Excuse me, I need to confer with my colleague about the project details.

Synonyms

to talk
vsto confer with
1.0

Speak with someone to share ideas or information

is specifically about discussing to exchange views and reach a decision
to discuss
vsto confer with
1.6

To talk with other people about something, often in detail

is more decision oriented, aiming to reach a choice after exchange
to speak to
vsto confer with
1.7

To talk to someone about a problem or plan

involves two way exchange focused on making a joint decision
to communicate
vsto confer with
773 2.3

Share information, ideas, or feelings with someone

is narrower, focusing on spoken exchange aimed at making decisions
to consult
vsto confer with
292 3.5

Ask a person or book for advice before deciding

emphasizes mutual exchange among peers rather than seeking specialist input
to talk over
vsto confer with
66 3.2

Discuss something carefully with someone before deciding

focuses more on exchanging ideas broadly to reach a joint decision
to confer
vsto confer with
45 4.9

To talk with others to make a decision

is similar but used in general talking to exchange ideas and decide
to converse
vsto confer with
29 3.3

To talk with someone in a friendly way

is more goal oriented toward exchanging ideas to reach a decision
to conference
vsto confer with
  • Formal
6 4.0

To talk with others to make a decision or share ideas

covers discussing with others in any setting to exchange ideas and decide
to join the discussion
vsto confer with
5 2.8

Take part in a conversation already happening

is about arranging or initiating a focused discussion to decide together
to dialog
vsto confer with
  • US
1 4.3

To talk to try to reach an agreement

is broader, covering general idea exchange not only problem resolution
to confab
vsto confer with
  • Informal
1 8.5

To talk briefly and informally with someone, often in private

is more purposeful and focused on reaching a formal decision
to confabulate
vsto confer with
8.8

To talk together to make a decision

is the general act of exchanging ideas to reach a decision
to convo
vsto confer with
  • Informal
8.7

To talk briefly in an informal way

is more focused and formal, aiming to exchange ideas to decide

Antonyms

to go it alone
  • Informal
26 5.3

To do something without help from other people

How Thorough

to deliberate
43 4.4
to confer with
25 4.5
to consult
292 3.5
to talk
1.0
to chat
  • Informal
269 1.0

Surface Forms

confer with infinitive
conferred with past participle
conferring with present participle
confers with third person singular

Morphology

confer + with

The meaning is directly compositional: 'confer' means to consult or talk and 'with' marks the participant(s) involved, so 'confer with' straightforwardly means to discuss something together with someone. This verb + with pattern is common across languages and follows standard English argument structure, making it transparent to a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

The verb confer with comes from the image of people bringing ideas together: to confer means to put ideas next to each other, and with shows who you do this with. So, to confer with someone means 'to talk and share ideas' to make a decision.