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con|fed|era|tion /kənfe dəre I ʃ ^ə n/ (confederations ) N‑COUNT A confederation is an organization or group consisting of smaller groups or states, especially one that exists for business or political purposes. □ [+ of ] …the Confederation of Indian Industry. □ [+ of ] …plans to partition the republic into a confederation of mini-states.

con|fer /kənfɜː ^r / (confers , conferring , conferred )

1 VERB When you confer with someone, you discuss something with them in order to make a decision. You can also say that two people confer . □ [V + with ] He conferred with Hill and the others in his office. □ [V ] His doctors conferred by telephone and agreed that he must get away from his family for a time.

2 VERB To confer something such as power or an honour on someone means to give it to them. [FORMAL ] □ [V n + on ] The constitution also confers large powers on Brazil's 25 constituent states. □ [V n] Never imagine that rank confers genuine authority.

con|fer|ence ◆◆◆ /kɒ nfrəns/ (conferences )

1 N‑COUNT A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject or to bring together people who have a common interest. □ [+ on ] The President summoned all the state governors to a conference on education. □  …the Conservative Party conference. □  Last weekend the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland held a conference, attended by 450 delegates.

2 N‑COUNT [oft in N ] A conference is a meeting at which formal discussions take place. □  They sat down at the dinner table, as they always did, before the meal, for a conference. □  Her employer was in conference with two lawyers and did not want to be interrupted.

3 → see also press conference SYNONYMS conference NOUN 1

meeting:…business meetings.

forum:The organisation provides a forum where problems can be discussed.

convention:…the annual convention of the Society of Professional Journalists.

symposium:He had been taking part in an international symposium on population.

convocation:…a convocation of the American Youth Congress.

co n|fer|ence call (conference calls ) N‑COUNT A conference call is a phone call in which more than two people take part. [BUSINESS ] □ [+ with ] There are daily conference calls with Washington.

con|fess /kənfe s/ (confesses , confessing , confessed )

1 VERB If someone confesses to doing something wrong, they admit that they did it. □ [V + to ] He had confessed to seventeen murders. □ [V that] I had expected her to confess that she only wrote these books for the money. □ [V n] Most rape victims confess a feeling of helplessness. □ [V ] Ray changed his mind, claiming that he had been forced into confessing. □ [V with quote] 'I played a very bad match,' he confessed. [Also V wh, V pron-refl adj/n]

2 VERB If someone confesses or confesses their sins, they tell God or a priest about their sins so that they can be forgiven. □ [V n] You just go to the church and confess your sins. □ [V n + to ] Once we have confessed our failures and mistakes to God, we should stop feeling guilty. [Also V , V to n]