consent
Americanverb (used without object)
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consents,
present (3rd person singular)
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consented,
past participle, past
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consenting
present participle
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to permit, approve, or agree; comply or yield (often followed by to or an infinitive).
He consented to the proposal. We asked her permission, and she consented.
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Archaic. to agree in sentiment, opinion, etc.; be in harmony.
noun
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consents
plural
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permission, approval, or agreement; sanction; acquiescence.
He gave his consent to the marriage.
- Synonyms:
- concurrence, accord
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agreement in sentiment, opinion, a course of action, etc..
By common consent he was appointed official delegate.
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Archaic. accord; concord; harmony.
verb
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to give assent or permission (to do something); agree; accede
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obsolete (intr) to be in accord; agree in opinion, feelings, etc
noun
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acquiescence to or acceptance of something done or planned by another; permission
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accordance or harmony in opinion; agreement (esp in the phrase with one consent )
-
the lowest age at which the law recognizes the right of a person to consent to sexual intercourse
Synonym Usage
See agree.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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consenternoun
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nonconsentnoun
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preconsentnoun
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reconsentverb (used without object)
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consentingadjective
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nonconsentingadjective
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unconsentingadjective
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consentinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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consentsimple
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consentssimple
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have consentedperfect
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has consentedperfect
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am consentingprogressive
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are consentingprogressive
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is consentingprogressive
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have been consentingperfect progressive
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has been consentingperfect progressive
Past
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consentedsimple
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had consentedperfect
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was consentingprogressive
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were consentingprogressive
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had been consentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consent
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb consenten, concenten, from Anglo-French, Old French consentir, from Latin consentīre “to join or share a feeling; concur”; noun derivative of the verb; see consensus
Explanation
Before you have surgery, you'd better give your consent, because the surgeon can't get his scalpel anywhere near your skin without first getting this permission from you. Consent is permission that can be given or taken away. On the night of the school dance, your parents might consent to extend your curfew by an hour. A homeowner who won't give a developer consent to tear down her house and build a shopping mall might finally consent after receiving a very large check from the developer.
Vocabulary lists containing consent
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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The Bill of Rights
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Common Senses: Sent, Sens ("Feel")
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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:
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing about 160,000 actors and other performers, has been demanding informed consent, fair compensation, more control and transparency over the use of digital replicas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
His father finally gave his consent, and the couple wed in Oslo Cathedral on 29 August 1968.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
A restriction that would draw constitutional scrutiny if government imposed it directly shouldn’t necessarily dodge that scrutiny because it arrived wrapped inside a consent judgment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Nuuk and Copenhagen are also shedding light on several other painful chapters from the past, including children adopted without parental consent or torn from their families.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Sissy asked him to consent to a divorce so that she might remarry.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
But if biological mothers and fathers are constitutionally forbidden from transferring parental rights, then many adoption consents are null and void.
From Slate ● May 13, 2026
The transaction is expected to close in mid-2026, subject to conditions, including regulatory approvals, client consents and the support of Janus Henderson’s shareholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
And he can remain on our soil only when the sovereign — in the U.S., that’s “We the People” — consents to it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025
Sir John Thompson cited it as one example of 8,276 "consents" required from public bodies, and expressed frustration at the UK’s regulations.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2024
He fumbles with the lighter before it consents to spark.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Although 88 agents consented to the forensic imaging of their personal phones, Robbins said none of those had been imaged at the time of the hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The wingman pilot acknowledged his sudden manoeuvre led to the collision, but argued that the lead aircraft's pilot had "tacitly consented" to the manoeuvre since he was aware that filming was taking place.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
North Korea consented to freeze its illicit nuclear work and eventually allow full inspections in exchange for a multibillion-dollar package of civilian nuclear power and oil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
He said this direction was with the consent of the government, which also now consented to giving her the documents back.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
She wishes Marco had accompanied Chandresh, though she doubts he would answer any of her questions, if he consented to speaking to her at all.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
If a journalist wants an on-the-record interview with someone in Objection’s orbit, they are asked to sign an agreement consenting in advance to the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
“If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here,” the U.S. senator said during a congressional hearing.
From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2026
It would later emerge in evidence that investigating Warwickshire officers had agreed with him that they could hear her "laughing and consenting".
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
But there are things you need to consider before consenting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025
Now, being a man, I could not help consenting.
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.
