consent

[ kuh n-sent ]

/ kənˈsɛnt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consent ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

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.

Archaic. to agree in sentiment, opinion, etc.; be in harmony.

noun

permission, approval, or agreement; compliance; acquiescence: He gave his consent to the marriage.

agreement in sentiment, opinion, a course of action, etc.: By common consent he was appointed official delegate.

Archaic. accord; concord; harmony.

Nearby words

consecutive anophthalmia, consensual, consensus, consensus gentium, consensus sequence, consent, consent decree, consent judgment, consent of the governed, consentaneous, consentience

Origin of consent

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English consenten < Anglo-French, Old French consentir < Latin consentīre (see consensus); (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.

Related forms

con·sent·er, nouncon·sent·ing·ly, adverbnon·con·sent, nounnon·con·sent·ing, adjective, noun

pre·con·sent, noun, verb (used without object)re·con·sent, verb (used without object)un·con·sent·ing, adjective

Can be confused

ascent assent consent

Synonym study

1. See agree.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for consent

Doctors have long wrestled with the age of consent when it comes to mature adolescents.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Consent is manufactured—like, remember the Ebola crisis from a few weeks ago?
How Canadian Oilmen Pinkwash the Keystone Pipeline|Jay Michaelson|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The committee recommended a single—and simple—principle be applied to the law, that of consent.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero|Clive Irving|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since when is a loud noise the only sign of resistance and lack of consent?
Should Twitter Suspend LGBT Engineer Accused Of Raping Her Wife?|Emily Shire|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Issy did not consent to these descriptions, nor could she defend herself.
The Mommy Blogger Who Tried to Kill Her Autistic Daughter Talks to Dr. Phil|Elizabeth Picciuto|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Countess Ammiani obtained her consent that she would not quit her side.
Vittoria, Complete|George Meredith
Suppose your stepfather should consent to your leaving home?
Making His Way|Horatio Alger, Jr.
Forbid all association or consent cheerfully to the marriage.
Searchlights on Health: Light on Dark Corners|B.G. Jefferis
Proofs of what has been advanced, may be drawn also from the consent of all, especially, of the wisest nations.
The Rights of War and Peace|Hugo Grotius
This information was received in gratitude, and his consent was thus readily obtained.
The Wonder Island Boys: Treasures of the Island|Roger Thompson Finlay

British Dictionary definitions for consent

consent

/ (kənˈsɛnt) /

verb

to give assent or permission (to do something); agree; accede

(intr) obsolete 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)

age of consent the lowest age at which the law recognizes the right of a person to consent to sexual intercourse

Derived Forms

consenter, nounconsenting, adjective

Word Origin for consent

C13: from Old French consentir, from Latin consentīre to feel together, agree, from sentīre to feel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012