consult
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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:
The admissions group that will lead it, the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, will consult with representatives of the state Board of Education and K-12 subject specialists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
If the bank refuses to comply, consult the attorney handling the estate or petition the probate court for assistance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Although the egg cases can be removed without causing pain, Battiston stresses that people should first consult a specialist to avoid accidentally removing the eggs of native mantis species.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
It will consult the Kaba family, who argue there are exceptional circumstances why it should still proceed.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
“I was hoping to speak to Warren’s sister as well,” she said, and pretended to consult her notes.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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
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
Brown uses mapping software and consults academic geographers to determine precisely where the land ends and ocean begins, and confirm the coordinates within one meter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
“Are you all right . . .” He consults his notes.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Over the weekend, the news was full of reports of meetings and discussions, as Zelensky consulted ministers and generals.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
I consulted a co-worker about why I was being asked to check in more.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“If helping me buy a better blender also helps pay for an investigative reporter, I’m fine with it,” said Andrew Heyward, a former CBS News president who has consulted for TV station groups.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Using AI to examine signatures on ballot envelopes is a relatively new frontier, according to most experts consulted by ProPublica and the FBI tech specialist.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
“An American. A man called—called—” he consulted some notes in front of him.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
She now runs a grant-writing consulting firm and lives in a two-bedroom condo that she owns with her husband, who works as a mariner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Audits by the county auditor-controller, city controller and an outside consulting firm found the agency wasn’t tracking how money was spent or whether housing providers complied with government contracts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Once he established his high-end consulting firm, Reilly retained his political staffers at no small expense, even during the lull between campaigns, rather than hiring and firing them as seasonal workers, which was the norm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
His consulting firm, which counts several high-profile agricultural groups as clients, is worth between $1 million and $5 million.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Stanton argued that his response proved her point, demonstrating that men had “run this government for one hundred years without consulting the women of the United States.”
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
