consignment

American  

[kuhn-sahyn-muhnt] / kənˈsaɪn mənt /

noun

• consignments
  plural

1. the act of consigning.

2. something that is consigned.

3. Commerce. property sent to an agent for sale, storage, or shipment.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or shipped as goods on consignment.

   consignment selling of gift items.

idioms

1. on consignment, (of goods) sent to an agent for sale, with title being held by the consignor until a sale is made.

consignment British  

/ kənˈsaɪnmənt /

noun

1. the act of consigning; commitment

2. a shipment of goods consigned

3. for payment by the consignee after sale

   he made the last shipment on consignment

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonconsignment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• consignments
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of consignment

First recorded in 1555–65; consign + -ment

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Explanation

Consignment means the delivery of things, like clothing or furniture, for sale or donation to someone else. A "consignment shop" is a clothing store that sells other people's clothing and goods. Consignment is a commercial term that refers to a giving over of objects. If your goods are on consignment, you still technically own them while they are on sale at the consignment shop. The word sometimes refers literally to goods being delivered or shipped, such as food or cargo. Consignment can also mean entrusting a person into the care of someone else, as when you put your aging grandparents in an old-aged home.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

consignment consignments

Although consignment shops and charities like Goodwill, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity’s Restore shops often accept furniture donations, they typically only want clean, unbroken and new or gently used pieces that they can sell.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

When Ed’s health began to fade in 2023, his son, Bryan, arranged with a Keizer, Ore., store called Bricks & Minifigs—the local franchise of a nationwide chain of Lego resellers—to sell the collection on consignment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Mansell wanted to sell his father's rare Star Wars Lego collection on consignment, meaning Ed would still be its legal owner until a buyer was found.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

After gas spending, miscellaneous retailers—a category including gift shops and consignment stores—registered the highest growth in sales with a 2.3% monthly gain.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

The downsides of a growth spurt means that my mom insists on buying clothes that are two sizes too big for me when she’s at the consignment store.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Archived, whose clientele consists mostly of celebrities and high-profile curators such as Timothée Chalamet, Travis Scott and Don Toliver, sources its pieces through consignments from sellers and endless hours spent hunting across international marketplaces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

"We were supposed to deliver the consignments to our clients today. All burnt to ashes, I guess," said importer Anand Kumar Ghosh, who said he had lost 52 consignments.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2025

The UN denies his allegations, arguing that its consignments are bar-coded and traceable.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025

While not all produce will require checks, in practice importers tend to have a mixture of goods, so most consignments will do, according to industry experts.

From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2024

The records of these consignments were, of course, scattered and have long since been lost.

From The Book of Buried Treasure Being a True History of the Gold, Jewels, and Plate of Pirates, Galleons, etc., which are sought for to this day by Ralph Delahaye Paine

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Related Words

• batch
• delivery
• goods
• shipment

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