consist

[ verb kuhn-sist; noun kon-sist ]

See synonyms for: consist consisted consisting consists on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to be made up or composed (usually followed by of): This cake consists mainly of sugar, flour, and butter.
to be comprised or contained (usually followed by in): Her charm does not consist only in her beauty.

Archaic. to exist together or be capable of existing together.
Obsolete. to insist; urge.

noun

Railroads.
- the rolling stock, exclusive of the locomotive, making up a train.
- a record made of this rolling stock.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use consist in a sentence

Today, the militias the Revolutionary Guard has manufactured consist of young, radicalised Shia men whose primary objectives are creating a pan-Shia state centred on Ayatollah Khamenei’s leadership.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Is Radicalizing Young Men Across the Middle East. The U.S. Needs a Counterinsurgency Strategy | Kasra Aarabi | February 11, 2021 | Time
The new information consisted of Internet protocol addresses that Comey said are “exclusively used” by North Korea.
Was Sony Hit With a Second Hack? | Shane Harris | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
But one convoy alone, according to Lysenko, consisted of 32 tanks, 16 D-30 howitzers and 30 KamAZ heavy trucks.
Putin Is Lying on Ukraine—and the West Can’t Stop Him | Jamie Dettmer | November 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Subsequent shipments had been “OKd in advance,” but these purportedly consisted only of defensive weapons in “miniscule amts.”
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations | Malcolm Byrne | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That fun consisted, at least in part, of some very exuberant railroading.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire | H.L. Mencken | October 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

The finale consisted of a lengthy dance routine that mimicked the movements of animals in nature.
Gareth Pugh's Fashion Show Lacked Fashion, But Not Passion | Justin Jones | September 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It consisted in a couple of snakes in old gold clenching an enormous topaz between their heads.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
Each man in the room was smoking a pipe, which consisted of a brass bowl and a reed stem over three feet long.
Our Little Korean Cousin | H. Lee M. Pike
These consisted of a good sized dining-room, p. 126six bedrooms, and an office for the manager and his clerk.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
Lawrence thanked him and was ready to start when the escort, which consisted of a sergeant and five men, made their appearance.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
The whole furniture of these rooms consisted of a few hammocks and straw mats.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer

British Dictionary definitions for consist

consist

/ (kənˈsɪst) /

verb(intr)

(foll by of) to be composed (of); be formed (of): syrup consists of sugar and water
(foll by in or of) to have its existence (in); lie (in); be expressed (by): his religion consists only in going to church

to be compatible or consistent; accord

Origin of consist

C16: from Latin consistere to halt, stand firm, from sistere to stand, cause to stand; related to stāre to stand

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

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