counsel

American  

[kaun-suhl] / ˈkaʊn səl /

noun

• counsel,
  plural
• counsels
  plural

1. advice; opinion or instruction given in directing the judgment or conduct of another.

   Synonyms:

   suggestion, recommendation

2. interchange of opinions as to future procedure; consultation; deliberation.

3. Law. the advocate or advocates engaged in the direction of a cause in court; a legal adviser or counselor.

   Is counsel for the defense present?

   Synonyms:

   barrister, solicitor, attorney, lawyer

4. deliberate purpose; plan; design.

5. Theology. one of the advisory declarations of Christ, considered by some Christians as not universally binding but as given for aid in attaining moral perfection.

6. Archaic. a private or secret opinion or purpose.

7. Obsolete. wisdom; prudence.

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verb (used with object)

• counsels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• counseled,
  past participle,  past
• counselled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• counseling,
  present participle
• counselling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to give advice to; advise.

2. to urge the adoption of, as a course of action; recommend (a plan, policy, etc.).

   He counseled patience during the crisis.

verb (used without object)

• counsels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• counseled,
  past participle,  past
• counselled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• counseling,
  present participle
• counselling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to give counsel or advice.

2. to get or take counsel or advice.

idioms

1. keep one's own counsel, to conceal one's ideas or opinions; keep silent.

2. take counsel, to ask for or exchange advice, ideas, or opinions; deliberate; consult.

counsel British  

/ ˈkaʊnsəl /

noun

1. advice or guidance on conduct, behaviour, etc

2. discussion, esp on future procedure; consultation

   to take counsel with a friend

3. a person whose advice or guidance is or has been sought

4. a barrister or group of barristers engaged in conducting cases in court and advising on legal matters

   counsel for the prosecution

5. a policy or plan

6. Christianity any of the counsels of perfection or evangelical counsels , namely poverty, chastity, and obedience

7. excellent but unrealizable advice

8. private opinions or plans (esp in the phrase keep one's own counsel )

9. archaic wisdom; prudence

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verb

1. (tr) to give advice or guidance to

2. (tr; often takes a clause as object) to recommend the acceptance of (a plan, idea, etc); urge

3. archaic (intr) to take counsel; consult

counsel More Idioms  

1. see keep one's own counsel.

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Commonly Confused

See council.

See council

Synonym Usage

See advice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precounsel
  noun
• recounsel
  verb (used with object)
• counselable
  adjective
• counsellable
  adjective
• uncounseled
  adjective
• uncounselled
  adjective
• well-counseled
  adjective
• well-counselled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• counsel
  plural
• counsels
  plural

Participles

• counseling
  present
• counselling
  present
• counseled
  past
• counselled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• counsel
  simple
• counsels
  simple
• have counseled
  perfect
• have counselled
  perfect
• has counseled
  perfect
• has counselled
  perfect
• am counseling
  progressive
• am counselling
  progressive
• are counseling
  progressive
• are counselling
  progressive
• is counseling
  progressive
• is counselling
  progressive
• have been counseling
  perfect progressive
• have been counselling
  perfect progressive
• has been counseling
  perfect progressive
• has been counselling
  perfect progressive

Past

• counseled
  simple
• counselled
  simple
• had counseled
  perfect
• had counselled
  perfect
• was counseling
  progressive
• was counselling
  progressive
• were counseling
  progressive
• were counselling
  progressive
• had been counseling
  perfect progressive
• had been counselling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will counsel
  simple
• will have counseled
  perfect
• will have counselled
  perfect
• will be counseling
  progressive
• will be counselling
  progressive
• will have been counseling
  perfect progressive
• will have been counselling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of counsel

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun counseil, from Anglo-French cunseil, Old French conseil, concile from Latin consilium “debate, advice, advisory body, plan,” equivalent to consil-, variant stem of consulere “to apply for advice” + -ium noun suffix; verb from Anglo-French cunseiler, Old French conseillier, from Late Latin consiliāre, derivative of consilium; see consult, -ium

Explanation

When you give counsel or counsel someone, you give advice. If your neighbor is suing you because your dog keeps eating his begonias, you might seek the counsel of a dog trainer or, if that doesn't work, a lawyer. You can get professional counsel — from a minister or psychiatrist or someone else trained in counseling — or you can get counsel from anyone you trust. You can ask your stylish friend to counsel you on your hairstyle, or you could write to Dear Abby for counsel on your lovelife. Counsel is also what you call a lawyer who represents you in court. In your begonia-eating dog case, your lawyer would be counsel for the defense.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

counsel counsels counseled counselled counseling counselling

Adjourning the case until 16 October, she told prosecution counsel: "You have to come back to court on what steps you want to take."

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The fund never hired counsel to explore a separation, according to Jay Eastman, who was the fund’s chair until he was fired in May.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Reports soon surfaced that Schmitt’s general counsel Ethan Harper, who stood behind him holding the infamous poster, saw his potential White House staff position being placed into immediate jeopardy.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

"Etihad will seek the relevant legal counsel on the options and recourse available to protect its interests."

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

But all rejected that counsel when Odysseus brought back the answer.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

But 9/11 barely registers with Muslims he counsels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

In the latest installment of Unhinged, Slate’s dating advice column, Steffi Cao counsels a woman whose dates are uncomfortable with her having the financial upper hand.

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026

He counsels them not to be afraid, even after early clandestine operations injure first the narrator, then Gavriel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

At the same time, the new “Little House on the Prairie” counsels that independence is more of a tall tale than a reality for a nation healing from the wounds of conflict.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

A number of us hoisted our defense counsels on our shoulders, which was no easy task in the case of Issy Maisels, for he was such a large man.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Before world lightweight boxing champion Vasiliy Lomachenko returned from shoulder surgery to defend his title in 2019, ElAttrache counseled him against using his left hook because he wasn’t mentally ready to do so.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

He requested a Rams playbook immediately after he was drafted, but said that McVay, quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone and offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase counseled that all of the rookies would be onboarded together.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2026

While we have counseled that speculating on earnings reports is gambling, it remains one of the most prevalent pastimes in the stock and options market.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

In his latest speech, Waller again counseled caution until the outcome of the conflict with Iran is resolved.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026

Although Tree-ear was determined to go straight to Songdo without delay, Crane-man had counseled him to make one stop—at a place called the “Rock of the Falling Flowers” in Puyo.

From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park

When the conflict erupted, Mr Younis immediately counselled her to travel towards the Egyptian border and wait for an opportunity to cross.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2023

With the rattled country shut down for Tisha B'av, the fast day mourning the destruction of two ancient Jewish temples in Jerusalem blamed by the sages on needless infighting, Israelis leaders counselled soul-searching.

From Reuters ● Jul. 27, 2023

In every family he’d ever counselled, his clients had accepted their own deaths.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2022

They meet once a month after nominations close on 31 January each year, counselled by a group of permanent advisers and other experts.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 8, 2021

Now in their debate some had counselled that Minas Morgul should first be assailed, and if they might take it, it should be utterly destroyed.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Shelter and counseling can offer a lifeline to those vulnerable adolescents.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

Student success: Harris would push to make the enrollment process easier and do more to help students finish, including through better counseling and basic needs support.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Bring a little forgiveness to the picture, says Celeste Birkhofer, a clinical psychologist and adjunct clinical faculty member at Stanford Medical School who emphasizes grief counseling.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

"In our study, however, we found that only 5% of patients received nutritional counseling within 30 days of GLP-1 treatment and less than 25% received nutritional counseling within 6 months."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

She's getting notes from my teachers and the counseling office, because two weeks is a long time to be absent from a high-powered private prep school.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

She said: "Her Childline, the confidential counselling service for young people in distress, helped so many children and The Silver Line was aimed at older people suffering loneliness and isolation."

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Nepal's prime minister, Balendra Shah, said there was a renewed emphasis on protecting the lives of survivors, providing medical treatment and psychological counselling.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Cassidy said: "The fire service got us all down one by one. All the emergency services were offering us counselling."

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Those plans include counselling rooms in every school, psychiatric services in at least one hospital in every county and more mental health professionals.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

It confined itself, in fact, to counselling the Government to a transitory step—the raising of the export duties on silver....

From The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896 by William Arthur Shaw