consignment
Americannoun
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the act of consigning.
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something that is consigned.
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Commerce. property sent to an agent for sale, storage, or shipment.
adjective
idioms
noun
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the act of consigning; commitment
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a shipment of goods consigned
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for payment by the consignee after sale
he made the last shipment on consignment
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consignment
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.
Vocabulary lists containing consignment
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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.
Alouette’s attempts to reclaim her work as her own instead of her father’s result in her consignment to Salpêtrière.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
Called Athena, the technology proposes item descriptions, suggests pricing and, crucially for a company that receives millions of goods a year to sell on consignment, helps discern authentic products from fakes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026
The UK government has criticised delays in aid being allowed into Gaza after a consignment of more than 1,100 tents it sent to the strip took more than a year to arrive.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025
France's energy ministry and EDF did not respond to AFP's questions on the consignment or trade.
From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025
In my mind’s eye, Aunt Gloria turned into a motorist with driving goggles and a huge consignment of bananas in the back seat.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
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.
