consult
Americanverb (used with object)
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consults,
present (3rd person singular)
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consulted,
past participle, past
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consulting
present participle
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to seek advice or information from; ask guidance from.
Consult your lawyer before signing the contract.
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to refer to for information.
Consult your dictionary for the spelling of the word.
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to have regard for (a person's interest, convenience, etc.) in making plans.
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Obsolete. to meditate, plan, or contrive.
verb (used without object)
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consults,
present (3rd person singular)
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consulted,
past participle, past
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consulting
present participle
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to consider or deliberate; take counsel; confer (usually followed bywith ).
He consulted with his doctor.
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to give professional or expert advice; serve as consultant.
noun
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a consultation.
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Archaic. a secret meeting, especially one for seditious purposes.
verb
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to ask advice from (someone); confer with (someone)
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(tr) to refer to for information
to consult a map
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(tr) to have regard for (a person's feelings, interests, etc) in making decisions or plans; consider
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(intr) to make oneself available to give professional advice, esp at scheduled times and for a fee
Synonym Usage
Consult, confer imply talking over a situation or a subject with someone to decide points in doubt. To consult is to seek from a presumably qualified person or source advice, opinion, etc.: to consult an authority. To confer is to exchange views: The partners conferred concerning their business.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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consultsimple
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consultssimple
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have consultedperfect
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has consultedperfect
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am consultingprogressive
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are consultingprogressive
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is consultingprogressive
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have been consultingperfect progressive
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has been consultingperfect progressive
Past
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consultedsimple
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had consultedperfect
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was consultingprogressive
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were consultingprogressive
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had been consultingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consult
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French consulter, from Latin consultāre “to deliberate,” literally, “to advise repeatedly,” from consulere “to advise, consider, seek advice from”; cf. consul
Explanation
To consult is to give or get help or advice. When you don't know the meaning of a word, you consult a dictionary. That's why you're here, right? People making a big decision will usually consult their family and friends. To consult can also mean a type of professional advice: a consultant is a freelance worker paid to help a business out with something. Consulting is a complicated word that can mean to give or receive advice. When in doubt, find someone you trust to consult.
Vocabulary lists containing consult
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
See Examples For:
“All my new starts are usually going to be Mounjaro and Zepbound,” said Scott Isaacs, an endocrinologist in Atlanta who used to consult for Novo.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Felix talks sovereign debt with the man finance ministers consult when even they don’t get it.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Some drivers now consult artificial intelligence to gut-check quotes, diagnose problems—and even guide them through basic repairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
A senior education department official has advised districts to consult their own attorneys about how to spend the money.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The men returned to the car for a consult.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
“It’s a closed ecosystem,” said Kenneth Civello, a cardiologist in Baton Rouge, La., who consults for several wearables companies.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
Before deciding to pursue an offshore treatment, Chitwood consults his fellow longevity enthusiasts.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
The decision needs to have been made twice in writing and has to be certified by a doctor who then consults with another doctor.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
Brown uses mapping software and consults academic geographers to determine precisely where the land ends and ocean begins, and confirm the coordinates within one meter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
“That monster who keeps his son’s heart in a pot? Anyone who consults him is an idiot!”
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Ahead of his departure, Wu said he had consulted staff at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong, asking if there would be any problems with his entry.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I consulted a co-worker about why I was being asked to check in more.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“If helping me buy a better blender also helps pay for an investigative reporter, I’m fine with it,” said Andrew Heyward, a former CBS News president who has consulted for TV station groups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Burnham says he wasn’t consulted on the budget cuts and it is so far unclear how the extra outlays will be financed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Tante Jans, who loved medical paraphernalia of every kind, took a tremendous fancy to the new doctor and from then on consulted him as often as her finances would permit.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
But he had ordered the structure built on an unstable foundation, without consulting independent geologists or engineers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Many company leaders went to the University of Copenhagen medical school or business school or were recruited from the Danish shipping giant Maersk or the management consulting firm Accenture Denmark.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
A mother steered a stroller while consulting a list.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
But many companies don’t even have the correct tools to analyze AI-generated attacks, said Ryan McGeehan, owner of R10N Security, a cybersecurity consulting firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
We’d found cheap office space in a building on Michigan Avenue and managed to get a load of donated secondhand chairs and tables from a corporate consulting firm that was redecorating its offices.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
