consultation
Americannoun
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consultations
plural
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the act of consulting; conference.
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a meeting for deliberation, discussion, or decision.
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a meeting of physicians to evaluate a patient's case and treatment.
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English Law. a writ returning a case to an ecclesiastical court from a temporal one.
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Australian. lottery.
noun
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the act or procedure of consulting
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a conference for discussion or the seeking of advice, esp from doctors or lawyers
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of consultation
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin consultātiōn-, stem of consultātiō, from consultāt(us) “deliberated” (past participle of consultāre; see consult) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A consultation is a conference or meeting at which opinions are exchanged or advice is prescribed. If one doctor says your severe blueberry allergy is cured, you might want a consultation with another doctor before indulging in the forbidden fruit. Stemming from the Latin word consultationem, which means to “consult, ask counsel of, or reflect,” a consultation usually involves a lot of questions and hopefully expert answers. Consultations happen before big decisions have to be made, such as talking with a realtor before buying a house or conferring with master yogi before attempting a head stand.
Vocabulary lists containing consultation
Aretha Franklin (1942 - 2018) Tribute List
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"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
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The Young Man and the Sea
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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:
The Department for Transport said it was reviewing responses to a consultation and was "considering the appropriate next steps".
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
"These are issues that deserve time, consultation, discussion, and respect," Macron said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
A government consultation on adoption support was launched in February 2026.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
And the union representative for school principals, Nicolas Bonnet, told broadcaster franceinfo that "to get out of this crisis, we will need something more than simple consultation periods".
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
On the opening day of the trial, they displayed their combativeness with a risky legal maneuver that a number of us had decided on in consultation with the lawyers.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Ward said he could not provide medical evidence of limited mobility, as he no longer needed to attend consultations or meetings with doctors after receiving his prosthetic limb.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
It would take about a dozen more consultations with attorneys across Southern California before the family retained Andy Miri, an L.A.-based lawyer, in mid-June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
There are over 1,000 senior move managers and many provide free consultations, followed by hourly fees of about $50 to $125, which could mean a total cost of $1,500 to $5,000 for a full house.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
"USCRI is appearing at 100 percent of the hearings and has expanded to provide legal orientation, legal consultations and direct representation," it said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
And another man; when I had time to look, I recognized the Haarlem notary who had been called in on the watch shop’s few legal consultations.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
