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)
-
consulted,
past participle, past
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consulting
present participle
-
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:
California students had to pass three other requirements under state law: receive a positive teacher evaluation, have the school consult with a parent and demonstrate basic academic skills in an assessment chosen by each district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Before your son breaks ground on this house, consult an experienced estate-planning attorney.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
He’ll likely consult with others in his office, but ultimately it’s his decision to make about whether to retry the case.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Dickson tapped former Estée Lauder executive John Demsey last year to consult as executive director of beauty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Doctor Copeland then went to consult a lawyer with whom he had had dealings before.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Arne Olson, a senior partner with Energy and Environmental Economics who consults on California’s energy planning, said replacing the plant with clean energy may have looked “eminently doable in 2016,” and is probably feasible today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The 67-year-old breast cancer survivor, who consults on sustainable textiles and runs a small farmers market, would never have her own property sprayed with pesticides, but admits to having envied neighbors who did.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Unlike the rest of us, Tsimerman also consults AI while writing math papers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
“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
“Now then,” said Stuart in a fierce voice, “hold on, my good people, while your Chairman consults the book of rules!”
From "Stuart Little" by E.B. White
Statisticians I have consulted insist that it’s almost certainly a coincidence that those three particularly terrible months for the market happened to occur in October.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
"The value in this project is practically unquantifiable," said Berkeley archaeology graduate student Leah Packard-Grams, who consulted on the project as a papyrologist.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026
In crafting “The Price of Freedom,” the museum consulted with veterans’ groups to try to avoid a backlash like the one that arose on the Enola Gay.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
The police were also consulted about the planned parade.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
“For example, it was not until I consulted the special archives here at Swanburne that I discovered the existence of a diary. An extraordinary, one-of-a-kind document. It chronicles the tale of a most...unusual seafaring expedition.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Students have been asked to return home after consulting their parents or guardians.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Most of the revenue needed to justify the heavy investment made to build out artificial-intelligence capabilities is so far unaccounted for, according to a report released Tuesday by the consulting giant Bain & Co.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Among those listed were AECOM, the global infrastructure company, which received more than $6.7 million from 2021 to 2023 for technical consulting and planning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
“They basically dug their own grave,” Abbott said to ABC, blaming tech companies for moving too fast without consulting local stakeholders.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
A petite girl with long curly hair, drowning in a yellow T-shirt, is consulting a seerah book.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
