consultant
Americannoun
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a person who gives professional or expert advice.
a consultant on business methods.
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a person who consults someone or something.
noun
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a senior physician, esp a specialist, who is asked to confirm a diagnosis or treatment or to provide an opinion
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a physician or surgeon holding the highest appointment in a particular branch of medicine or surgery in a hospital
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a specialist who gives expert advice or information
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a person who asks advice in a consultation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of consultant
First recorded in 1690–1700; from French or directly from Latin consultant- (stem of consultāns, present participle of consultāre “to take counsel”); see origin at consult, -ant
Explanation
A consultant is an expert in a particular field. Sometimes a business will rely on the guidance of a consultant to help change its image. How did the word consultant come about? Consult dates to the 1520s and comes from the French word consultare, meaning "take advice of." The related noun consultant, to mean someone qualified to give advice, is believed to have first appeared in an 1893 Sherlock Holmes story.
Vocabulary lists containing consultant
The Westing Game
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The Lemonade War
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 6
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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.
Consultant physiotherapist Claire Jones said the service ensured people with any severity of ME could now receive "individualised support".
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
Ellen Weinberg-Hughes is a Player Development Consultant for the U.S. women’s hockey team, which also won gold.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026
Dr. Rachel Cheong Chin Yee, a Senior Consultant and Deputy Head at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital's Department of Geriatric Medicine, said the study highlights the role of small blood vessel changes in Alzheimer's development.
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026
It can be an alphabet soup of certifications under a professional’s name, but some of the more well-known certifications for a financial adviser include the Certified Financial Planner designation and the Chartered Financial Consultant designation.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
McCrae was required for that post; but a higher honour was in store, namely the place of Consultant to the British Armies in the Field.
From In Flanders Fields and Other Poems by Macphail, Andrew, Sir
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.
