consent
Americanverb (used without object)
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to permit, approve, or agree; comply or yield (often followed by to or an infinitive).
He consented to the proposal. We asked her permission, and she consented.
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Archaic. to agree in sentiment, opinion, etc.; be in harmony.
noun
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permission, approval, or agreement; sanction; acquiescence.
He gave his consent to the marriage.
- Synonyms:
- concurrence, accord
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agreement in sentiment, opinion, a course of action, etc..
By common consent he was appointed official delegate.
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Archaic. accord; concord; harmony.
verb
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to give assent or permission (to do something); agree; accede
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obsolete (intr) to be in accord; agree in opinion, feelings, etc
noun
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acquiescence to or acceptance of something done or planned by another; permission
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accordance or harmony in opinion; agreement (esp in the phrase with one consent )
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the lowest age at which the law recognizes the right of a person to consent to sexual intercourse
Synonym Usage
See agree.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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consenternoun
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nonconsentnoun
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nonconsentingadjective
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consentinglyadverb
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unconsentingadjective
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reconsentverb (used without object)
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consentingadjective
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preconsentnoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have consentedperfect
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has consentedperfect 3rd person singular
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is consentingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am consentingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been consentingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are consentingprogressive
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have been consentingperfect progressive
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consentingparticiple
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consentssingular 3rd person
Past
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had consentedperfect
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were consentingprogressive plural
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was consentingprogressive singular
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had been consentingperfect progressive
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consentedparticiple
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consentedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of consent
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb consenten, concenten, from Anglo-French, Old French consentir, from Latin consentīre “to join or share a feeling; concur”; noun derivative of the verb; see consensus
Explanation
Before you have surgery, you'd better give your consent, because the surgeon can't get his scalpel anywhere near your skin without first getting this permission from you. Consent is permission that can be given or taken away. On the night of the school dance, your parents might consent to extend your curfew by an hour. A homeowner who won't give a developer consent to tear down her house and build a shopping mall might finally consent after receiving a very large check from the developer.
Vocabulary lists containing consent
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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The Bill of Rights
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Common Senses: Sent, Sens ("Feel")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And this: “He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026
“He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our Legislatures.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025
“I love Aaron Siri,” Kennedy said in a clip played on a recent episode of a podcast hosted by Informed Consent Action Network founder Del Bigtree.
From Salon • Dec. 13, 2024
Consent in hand, the owners of the fields raced ahead with work to get ready for drilling, striking deals with suppliers and hiring staff.
From BBC • Nov. 15, 2024
Consent, then, to his demand is possible: but for one item—one dreadful item.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
