consort
Americannoun
-
a husband or wife; spouse, especially of a reigning monarch.
-
one vessel or ship accompanying another.
-
Music.
-
a group of instrumentalists and singers who perform music, especially old music.
-
a group of instruments of the same family, as viols, played in concert.
-
-
a companion, associate, or partner.
a confidant and consort of heads of state.
-
accord or agreement.
-
Obsolete.
-
company or association.
-
harmony of sounds.
-
verb (used without object)
-
to associate; keep company.
to consort with known criminals.
-
to agree or harmonize.
verb (used with object)
-
to associate, join, or unite.
-
Obsolete.
-
to accompany; espouse.
-
to sound in harmony.
-
verb
-
to keep company (with undesirable people); associate
-
(intr) to agree or harmonize
-
rare (tr) to combine or unite
noun
-
-
a small group of instruments, either of the same type, such as viols, (a whole consort ) or of different types (a broken consort )
-
( as modifier )
consort music
-
-
the husband or wife of a reigning monarch
-
a partner or companion, esp a husband or wife
-
a ship that escorts another
-
obsolete
-
companionship or association
-
agreement or accord
-
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
consortsimple
-
consortssimple
-
have consortedperfect
-
has consortedperfect
-
am consortingprogressive
-
are consortingprogressive
-
is consortingprogressive
-
have been consortingperfect progressive
-
has been consortingperfect progressive
Past
-
consortedsimple
-
had consortedperfect
-
was consortingprogressive
-
were consortingprogressive
-
had been consortingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consort
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin consort- (stem of consors ) “sharer,” originally, “sharing” (adjective); see origin at con-, sort
Explanation
If you keep company with someone, you are consorting with them. "The students tended to consort only with other students from similar backgrounds. The staff wanted to break them out of their comfort zone, so they organized games to force them to mingle and meet new people." Consort is usually followed by the preposition with, and sometimes the verb consort is followed by the phrase "with the enemy." The military frowns on consorting with the enemy in a war. Her best friend accused her of consorting with the enemy when she walked home with another girl. As a noun, the term consort refers to the spouse of the reigning monarch. Prince Albert was called the prince consort because he was married to Queen Victoria when she ruled Great Britain.
Vocabulary lists containing consort
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Yet the role of a do-nothing prince consort doesn’t suit the dutiful, and now fiercely faithful, Alfred, and a war of wills—and of the sexes—ensues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
This upcoming Spring/Summer 2026 season has been inspired by Vietnam's former ruling Nguyen dynasty, notably Emperor Khai Dinh and the last empress consort, Nam Phuong, who both lived under colonial French rule.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Chakrasamvara, the blue-man emblem of compassion, is being embraced by his consort, Vajravarahi, bright red symbol of wisdom, in a spectacularly explosive display whose arrested design seems intended as a spur to deep meditation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025
The next great constitutional upheaval in Britain, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, displaced King James II in favor his daughter Mary and her consort, William of Orange.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2025
Daenerys had taken another for her consort, but if Hizdahr died, she would be free to wed again.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
According to the New York Times, it chose not to pursue prosecution because it worried that some potential witnesses, be they fellow partiers or former youthful consorts, “might not have stood up well under cross-examination.”
From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2024
Male squid born between early April and mid-July grow large before starting reproduction and become consorts.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 23, 2024
But the first break with tradition comes here: previously, consorts were crowned with new headpieces, created just for this moment.
From Salon ● May 5, 2023
Queen consorts do not formally share the sovereign’s powers, and dropping the “consort” part of the title won’t change that.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
The jaunty patterns of popular dances were put together into contrasting groups of three to provide variation - slow-fast-slow or fast-slow-fast - even when the consorts were not accompanying actual dancing.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
In 2022, Maxwell, who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in helping Epstein.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
And all this consorted with his long-held disdain for America, his resentment of Britain’s “subordination” to an upstart power.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 11, 2019
It portrayed King as a rabble-rouser who consorted with militants in expensive hotels.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 30, 2018
Sanctioned by a tough guy who consorted with mobsters, behavior once synonymous with cowardice and weakness became noble suffering.
From New York Times ● Dec. 11, 2015
It has been my good fortune, after all, to have consorted not just with Mr Churchill, but with many other great leaders and men of influence - from America and from Europe.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
The privilege of consorting with a fox cost more than I had already paid.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2022
At the same time, UAE officials were consorting with Barrack, the energy-rich Gulf state rewarded him by pouring millions of dollars into his business ventures.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 3, 2022
“If total resistance implies true femininity,” she shot back, “with what, pray tell, have you been consorting all your life?”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 24, 2019
Onstage, Peck is a matinee idol, with large, dark eyes, creamy skin and the mysterious expression of someone consorting with his own thoughts, but in person he is mellow and grounded.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2018
I wish this were the last time they came feasting, courting me or consorting here!
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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.
