consult
Americanverb (used with object)
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consults,
present (3rd person singular)
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consulted,
past participle, past
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consulting
present participle
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to seek advice or information from; ask guidance from.
Consult your lawyer before signing the contract.
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to refer to for information.
Consult your dictionary for the spelling of the word.
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to have regard for (a person's interest, convenience, etc.) in making plans.
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Obsolete. to meditate, plan, or contrive.
verb (used without object)
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consults,
present (3rd person singular)
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consulted,
past participle, past
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consulting
present participle
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to consider or deliberate; take counsel; confer (usually followed bywith ).
He consulted with his doctor.
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to give professional or expert advice; serve as consultant.
noun
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a consultation.
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Archaic. a secret meeting, especially one for seditious purposes.
verb
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to ask advice from (someone); confer with (someone)
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(tr) to refer to for information
to consult a map
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(tr) to have regard for (a person's feelings, interests, etc) in making decisions or plans; consider
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(intr) to make oneself available to give professional advice, esp at scheduled times and for a fee
Synonym Usage
Consult, confer imply talking over a situation or a subject with someone to decide points in doubt. To consult is to seek from a presumably qualified person or source advice, opinion, etc.: to consult an authority. To confer is to exchange views: The partners conferred concerning their business.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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consultsimple
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consultssimple
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have consultedperfect
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has consultedperfect
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am consultingprogressive
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are consultingprogressive
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is consultingprogressive
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have been consultingperfect progressive
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has been consultingperfect progressive
Past
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consultedsimple
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had consultedperfect
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was consultingprogressive
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were consultingprogressive
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had been consultingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consult
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French consulter, from Latin consultāre “to deliberate,” literally, “to advise repeatedly,” from consulere “to advise, consider, seek advice from”; cf. consul
Explanation
To consult is to give or get help or advice. When you don't know the meaning of a word, you consult a dictionary. That's why you're here, right? People making a big decision will usually consult their family and friends. To consult can also mean a type of professional advice: a consultant is a freelance worker paid to help a business out with something. Consulting is a complicated word that can mean to give or receive advice. When in doubt, find someone you trust to consult.
Vocabulary lists containing consult
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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:
“All my new starts are usually going to be Mounjaro and Zepbound,” said Scott Isaacs, an endocrinologist in Atlanta who used to consult for Novo.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Labour groups have told the BBC that existing employment laws in the Philippines govern redundancy but offer little guidance on how companies should introduce AI into workplaces or consult employees over its use.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Felix talks sovereign debt with the man finance ministers consult when even they don’t get it.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
Car Talk: Some drivers now consult AI to gut-check quotes, diagnose problems—and even guide them through basic repairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
"I suggest we both go first of all and consult my grandmother," I said.
From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl
He told MarketWatch that he still consults with Nicholas Galluccio, who was the portfolio manager of the fund from 2008 until Gabelli took over.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Indeed, he consults regularly with Trump on major cases, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
In addition to joining local fire safety advisory boards, Cantey reached out to a mining company she consults for, which specialises in underground refuge chambers.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Before deciding to pursue an offshore treatment, Chitwood consults his fellow longevity enthusiasts.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
He consults his map and for the next few days he follows the routes she has charted for him with a pencil.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Prisoners released on licence, he said, would be subject to "very significant controls on their lives" and victims would be consulted.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
This time, she instead consulted a human: her brother.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
I consulted a co-worker about why I was being asked to check in more.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
None of those justifications appear to apply here, according to contracting experts and former staffers consulted by ProPublica.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
He consulted his notes, keying in on one thing in particular.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
But he had ordered the structure built on an unstable foundation, without consulting independent geologists or engineers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Many company leaders went to the University of Copenhagen medical school or business school or were recruited from the Danish shipping giant Maersk or the management consulting firm Accenture Denmark.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
A mother steered a stroller while consulting a list.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
He had gone from a "loving partner" to a man who believed that she was "plotting" to take over his successful consulting business.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
At last somebody had thought of consulting Merlyn, whom they had found in the middle of his third nap.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
