consist
Americanverb (used without object)
-
consists,
present (3rd person singular)
-
consisted,
past participle, past
-
consisting
present participle
-
to be made up or composed (usually followed byof ).
This cake consists mainly of sugar, flour, and butter.
-
to be comprised or contained (usually followed byin ).
Her charm does not consist only in her beauty.
-
Archaic. to exist together or be capable of existing together.
-
Obsolete. to insist; urge.
noun
verb
-
(foll by of) to be composed (of); be formed (of)
syrup consists of sugar and water
-
to have its existence (in); lie (in); be expressed (by)
his religion consists only in going to church
-
to be compatible or consistent; accord
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
consistsimple
-
consistssimple
-
have consistedperfect
-
has consistedperfect
-
am consistingprogressive
-
are consistingprogressive
-
is consistingprogressive
-
have been consistingperfect progressive
-
has been consistingperfect progressive
Past
-
consistedsimple
-
had consistedperfect
-
was consistingprogressive
-
were consistingprogressive
-
had been consistingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consist
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin consistere “to stand together, stand firm,” from con- con- + sistere “to stand, cause to stand”; see also stand, stasis, status
Explanation
Almost always used with the preposition "of," the verb consist means to be made up of, or composed of something. A heated conversation might consist of only two words: "yes" and "no." If you're talking about something that is made up of other things, consist is your word. A molecule consists of atoms and their bonds. Consist is often used in the past tense, so you're likely to hear it used in a sentence like "the game consisted of fourteen players and one stick." But you can use it in the present tense too. Grammar consists of many, many different rules, all of which are applied differently, depending on whether you're speaking or writing. The clubs all consist of singers, and singers only. If you play an instrument, look elsewhere, bud.
Vocabulary lists containing consist
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Because of Winn-Dixie
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
These tactics are often employed by transnational criminal groups that consist primarily of citizens from Sinaloa state in Mexico, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent said in affidavits filed in federal court last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
Depending on the virus, these shells may consist of tens or even thousands of individual protein components.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Adult checkups consist of measuring vitals and doing routine tests, usually specific to your age.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Word is that the board will consist of experienced, established journalists.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The residents consist largely of families of color.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Sometimes called the "self network," the DMN consists of interconnected regions in the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Private equity consists of buying companies with gigantic amounts of debt, like buying a home with a massive mortgage.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Now, more than a decade later, our social circle is still small, and it mostly consists of our daughter’s friends’ parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
This is all impressive, yet it says a “significant portion of our customer base consists of startups and technology-oriented enterprises that may be more sensitive to adverse macroeconomic conditions.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
For Descartes the material world consists of divisible corpuscles.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
It consisted of cumulonimbus clouds with some cells reaching relatively high intensity, according to aviation data provider AirNav Systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Six months ago, my wildest dreams consisted entirely of paying off my credit card debt and eating beef once in a while; I am very familiar with the seething rage such articles provoke.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
The training consisted of four wall squat holds per session, with two minutes of seated recovery between each hold.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
For his thesis, he created a piece titled “Reflections on the American Dream,” 1989, that consisted of a series of images of Jackson layered with handwritten texts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
It consisted of catching and destroying tsetse flies.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
The jury, consisting of three women and nine men, were told by the judge Mr Justice Calver that Williams was appearing via videolink from Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire, rather than sitting in the dock.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
All the while, another machine consisting of a motor, a cylindrical blade assembly and a conveyor belt swallowed logs into one end and delivered a stream of wood chips out the other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Previous searches for quark wakes often focused on pairs consisting of a quark and an "antiquark."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Robinson said it would pay $17.25 in cash and issue 0.0856 shares for each share of RXO, with the total deal consideration consisting of about 57% cash and 43% stock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
In a typical galaxy, consisting of a hundred billion stars, a supernova will occur on average once every two or three hundred years.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
