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 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

Aviation expert Richard Aboulafia of consultancy AeroDynamic said there's "no question in some markets fares will probably increase."

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

He had a stint at a consultancy called CrossBoundary between 2020 and 2022 that wasn’t included in his employment history with U.S. regulators.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

Gustavo Razzetti is CEO of Fearless Culture, a culture design consultancy.

From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026

A flight from London to Melbourne in June now costs 76% more than it did last year, for example, according to research from the consultancy Teneo.

From BBC • May 3, 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