consultancy

American  

[kuhn-suhl-tn-see] / kənˈsʌl tn si /

noun

plural

consultancies

1. the state of being a consultant; the position of a consultant.

   a consultancy with a government agency.

2. a person or firm that provides consulting consulting advice or services.

3. consultation.

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Etymology

Origin of consultancy

consult + -ancy

Explanation

If it's your job to give advice about how to run a lemonade stand, you've started your own lemonade-selling consultancy, or a business that gives expert information about a particular field. Most consultancies have to do with the business world, as when a company that's trying to avoid harming the environment hires an environmental consultancy to provide expert tips about how to be more environmentally friendly. But any firm that's in the business of giving advice — whether to governments or schools or sports teams — can be described as a consultancy.

Example Sentences

We still don't know whether the guarantees apply only to some ships or all vessels flagged under a certain country, said Dimitris Maniatis from shipping consultancy Marisks.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Investors shared this opinion, arguing that Palantir was more of a glorified consultancy than a legitimate tech company.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

To do it right, brands need to be among the first to pounce on a potentially viral mishap, said Allen Adamson, co-founder of marketing consultancy Metaforce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

The latest forecast by analysts at energy consultancy Cornwall Insight suggests the household with typical energy use will pay £1,929 a year from July, an 18% rise.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

His address was easy to find— I Googled him and found www.shipwellconsulting.co.uk, the site where he advertises “a range of consultancy, cloud- and web-based services for business and nonprofit organizations.”

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins