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definitions

consent

[kuh n-sent]
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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.

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 formscon·sent·er, nouncon·sent·ing·ly, adverbnon·con·sent, nounnon·con·sent·ing, adjective, nounpre·con·sent, noun, verb (used without object)re·con·sent, verb (used without object)un·con·sent·ing, adjective
Can be confusedascent assent consent

Synonym study

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

Related Words for consent

sanction, blessing, permission, concurrence, acquiescence, assent, understanding, go-ahead, permit, compliance, approval, authorization, subscribe, comply, acquiesce, accord, okay, leave, yes, allowance

Examples from the Web for consent

Contemporary Examples of consent

Historical Examples of consent

  • Do be on your guard—'if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.'

    Life in London

    Edwin Hodder

  • I would never have married him, if I had known—without your consent, I mean.

    Weighed and Wanting

    George MacDonald

  • She would not consent to this marriage; but I carried the day, and my word is given.

  • Well, let him become a doctor, and I will consent to the marriage.

  • She looked about to the others as if asking their consent to tell the story.

    The Trail Book

    Mary Austin

British Dictionary definitions for consent

consent

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 Formsconsenter, 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
Word Origin and History for consent
v.

early 13c., from Old French consentir (12c.) "agree, comply," from Latin consentire "feel together," from com- "with" (see com-) + sentire "to feel" (see sense (n.)). "Feeling together," hence, "agreeing, giving permission," apparently a sense evolution that took place in French before the word reached English. Related: Consented; consenting.

n.

c.1300, "approval," also "agreement in sentiment, harmony," from Old French consente, from consentir (see consent (v.)). Age of consent is attested from 1809.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper