consultation
Americannoun
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the act of consulting; conference.
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a meeting for deliberation, discussion, or decision.
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a meeting of physicians to evaluate a patient's case and treatment.
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English Law. a writ returning a case to an ecclesiastical court from a temporal one.
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Australian. lottery.
noun
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the act or procedure of consulting
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a conference for discussion or the seeking of advice, esp from doctors or lawyers
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consultation
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin consultātiōn-, stem of consultātiō, from consultāt(us) “deliberated” (past participle of consultāre; see consult) + -iō -ion
Explanation
A consultation is a conference or meeting at which opinions are exchanged or advice is prescribed. If one doctor says your severe blueberry allergy is cured, you might want a consultation with another doctor before indulging in the forbidden fruit. Stemming from the Latin word consultationem, which means to “consult, ask counsel of, or reflect,” a consultation usually involves a lot of questions and hopefully expert answers. Consultations happen before big decisions have to be made, such as talking with a realtor before buying a house or conferring with master yogi before attempting a head stand.
Vocabulary lists containing consultation
Aretha Franklin (1942 - 2018) Tribute List
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"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
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The Young Man and the Sea
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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.
Senate and cannot be summoned for a consultation by the Danish foreign ministry, as the U.S. ambassador has been.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
A public consultation is due to be held this spring although no date has yet been confirmed.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The government's consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s is due to close on 26 May, with the government planning to respond in the summer.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Scanlon’s personalized services begin with a consultation call to understand the client’s needs, then she curates a list of apartments, tours the ones they love and provides videos of the space and the surrounding area.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
We wait for approximately a year before the nurse calls us back to the consultation room, and for about a lifetime before a short woman in a big sweater dress appears through the door.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
