consent
Americanverb (used without object)
-
consents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
consented,
past participle, past
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consenting
present participle
-
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
-
to give assent or permission (to do something); agree; accede
-
obsolete (intr) to be in accord; agree in opinion, feelings, etc
noun
-
acquiescence to or acceptance of something done or planned by another; permission
-
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
-
preconsentnoun
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reconsentverb (used without object)
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consentingadjective
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nonconsentingadjective
-
unconsentingadjective
-
consentinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
consentsimple
-
consentssimple
-
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
-
had consentedperfect
-
was consentingprogressive
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were consentingprogressive
-
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:
"Dear protesters, since you're being filmed without your consent, try using make-up to dodge surveillance/facial recognition cameras," she said on social media.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Institutions would finally take claims of rape seriously, and young men would have a better understanding of consent and the consequences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer representing one of the accused students, called the case “a significant inflection point” in the debate over consent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
And in France, child welfare group e-Enfance said last month it had received some 20 reports of women being filmed without their consent, in most of those cases with Meta glasses.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
To “come along” meant that he would change his ways and consent to be the husband she had traveled so far to find.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Wolford involves a Hawaiʻi law that prohibits individuals from carrying guns on private property unless the owner affirmatively consents.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
The board cited uncertainty in obtaining client consents and questioned Victory Capital’s $500 million synergy estimate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
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
That arrangement quietly splits the person who is being watched from the person who consented to the watching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 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
Ecuador said that its officials had not consented to ICE entering the consulate.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
There’s a lot of work in the ambient space, where A.I. can listen after patients have consented and help generate notes.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
But I thought it was more important that we see each other than to resist the petty machinations of the authorities, and Winnie consented to carry a pass.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
These "pre-mortem" tissue samples came from consenting patients undergoing heart bypass procedures at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
He called for their release from the detention center, saying he is concerned that they will be pressured into signing documents consenting to their removal from the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
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
Now, being a man, I could not help consenting.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
