consultation
Americannoun
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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:
Though the exact shape of the new rules is still under public consultation until September, these changes will take regulations from a "buildings based" regulation model to an "officiant based" one.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Chinese finance hub has sought to overhaul those laws, opening sweeping reforms to public consultation this month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Each time, the project had to go back to public consultation, Irwin said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She noted that one elder from Kwaaymii Laguna Band of Indians responded with concerns about mud pots and other resources in the area, but it was more than five months after the consultation period closed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 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
"There were many consultations yesterday and today. Of course, I hear what people are saying," Zelensky said in an evening address, adding that he had spoken with both Syrsky and Fedorov.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
The agency made the changes without the customary professional consultations, KFF has reported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
She said that during legal service consultations, commissary pricing frequently comes up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Founded in 2023, Melbourne-based Everlab has completed 40,000 consultations across 20,000 individual patients and corporate partners, including Boston Consulting Group, BHP and Bain & Co.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Because of the Emergency Regulations, consultations between the accused and our lawyers had become virtually impossible.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
