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Synonyms

consulting

American  
[kuhn-suhl-ting] / kənˈsʌl tɪŋ /

adjective

  1. employed or involved in giving professional advice to the public or to those practicing the profession.

    a consulting physician.

  2. of, relating to, or used for consultation.

    a physician's consulting room.
consulting British  
/ kənˈsʌltɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) acting in an advisory capacity on professional matters

    a consulting engineer
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unconsulting adjective

Etymology

Origin of consulting

First recorded in 1790–1800; consult + -ing 2

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.

Biopharma M&A volume nearly doubled in 2025, according to consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal, which said in a 2026 outlook report External link that M&A activity in biopharma is likely to remain strong this year.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

He says he came to the decision to retire from boxing without consulting those close to him.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

OpenAI and Anthropic are supplementing their FDE teams by partnering with consulting firms.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

The Middle East accounts for about 20% of the global ammonia trade and 38% of the global urea trade, two of the most widely used nitrogen fertilizers, according to the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Gaskill didn’t say anything, he was consulting some notes that Riley had pushed in front of him, but he did give the slightest shake of his head.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

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.