console
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
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Also called video game console. Also called game(s) console,. Also called gaming console,. a computer system specially made for playing video games by connecting it to a television or other display for video and sound.
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the control or monitoring unit of a computer, containing the keyboard or keys, switches, etc.
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a television, phonograph, or radio cabinet designed to stand on the floor rather than on a table or shelf.
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a desklike structure containing the keyboards, pedals, etc., by means of which an organ is played.
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a small cabinet standing on the floor and having doors.
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the control unit of a mechanical, electrical, or electronic system.
the console that controls a theater's lighting system.
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Architecture. an ornamental corbel or bracket, especially one high in relation to its projection.
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Automotive. a tray or container typically divided into compartments, mounted between bucket seats, and used for storing small items.
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Nautical. a unit on a vessel containing steering apparatus, systems monitoring equipment, etc..
a bridge console, an engine-room console.
noun
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an ornamental bracket, esp one used to support a wall fixture, bust, etc
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the part of an organ comprising the manuals, pedals, stops, etc
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a unit on which the controls of an electronic system are mounted
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same as games console
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a cabinet for a television, gramophone, etc, designed to stand on the floor
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See console table
verb
Synonym Usage
See comfort.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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consolernoun
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consolableadjective
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inconsolableadjective
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unconsolableadjective
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unconsoledadjective
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consolinglyadverb
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unconsolablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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consolesimple
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consolessimple
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have consoledperfect
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has consoledperfect
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am consolingprogressive
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are consolingprogressive
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is consolingprogressive
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have been consolingperfect progressive
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has been consolingperfect progressive
Past
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consoledsimple
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had consoledperfect
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was consolingprogressive
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were consolingprogressive
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had been consolingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of console1
First recorded in 1685–95; either from French consoler or directly from Latin consōlārī, equivalent to con- con- + sōlārī “to soothe” ( see solace); perhaps akin to Old English sǣl “happiness” ( see seely)
Origin of console2
First recorded in 1700–10; from French; Middle French consolle “bracket, support,” apparently shortening of consolateur (attested in Middle French with same sense), literally, “one who consoles” (from Late Latin consōlātor; see console 1 , -ator ), perhaps because such supports served as rests in choir stalls, etc.; cf. misericord
Explanation
Perhaps you avoid babysitting your baby brother because you're worried that if he starts to cry, you won’t be able to console him or make him feel better. Or maybe you just hate changing diapers. You usually try to console someone by providing encouragement and offering solace. Others try to console themselves with tubs of ice cream. From the Latin word consolari, meaning “to comfort,” the noun console can also describe a central control panel. In an automobile, the controls for both the radio and air-conditioning are in the same center console.
Vocabulary lists containing console
Of Mice and Men
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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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:
Its premium Series X console with a disc drive will now cost £670, when it previously retailed for £500.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Meanwhile a baseline Xbox Series S console now costs £430 - a roughly 43% increase on its previous £300 price tag.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Afterward, his father didn’t console him with platitudes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Is Microsoft laying off 3,200 employees from the Xbox division just a new boss coming in and pruning an overgrown asset, or is it a sign that console gaming is coming to the end?
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
The commander slid a piece of paper across the console.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
In the US, its basic consoles rose by $100 to $499, and the cost of a console with more memory increased by $150 to $749.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The centre's shops sell tech equipment of all sorts, from computer parts to gadgets and games consoles.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
"If consoles are going to become digital only, then issues like today cannot lock people out of their stuff."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Judith, a Puerto Rican girl from a poor but devoted family, consoles her exhausted teacher one day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Pedrito just cracks his knuckles and consoles her by saying that they can have another one real soon.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
Cast members consoled him, including a kiss on the cheek from Mikey Day that sent Gosling into a spontaneous giggle attack.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
“You have to be strong,” he consoled his mother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
She bought lollipops and a teddy bear, and by 10 a.m. she had set up shop outside a campus dining hall where she consoled students Sunday morning with offers of “free mom hugs.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025
He broke down in tears and was consoled by Hamilton's father Anthony on his walk back to the Racing Bulls garage.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
My heart was pounding, but I consoled myself with the knowledge that pretty soon I wouldn’t have to deal with Andy.
From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals
It’s the shattering confusion of grief—for his son, and for his own life as he expected to lead it—yet he has made of the resulting jumble a consoling, searching work of art.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Days after Kirk’s death, Marx posted photos of himself consoling Kirk’s widow, Erika; he announced he was considering a run for governor at a memorial service for Kirk.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
Phil Foden's World Cup audition ended painfully with the consoling arm of England head coach Thomas Tuchel around his shoulder.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
He claimed that he began consoling a crying Minaj, only for her to start yelling at him.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025
She patted me on the shoulder in a consoling manner.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
Definitions 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.
