counsel

[ koun-suhl ]

/ ˈkaʊn səl /

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See synonyms for: counsel / counseled / counseling / counselled on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural coun·sel for 3.

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

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

Law.(used with a singular or plural verb) the advocate or advocates engaged in the direction of a cause in court; a legal adviser or counselor: Is counsel for the defense present?

deliberate purpose; plan; design.

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.

Archaic. a private or secret opinion or purpose.

Obsolete. wisdom; prudence.

verb (used with object), coun·seled, coun·sel·ing or (especially British) coun·selled, coun·sel·ling.

to give advice to; advise.

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), coun·seled, coun·sel·ing or (especially British) coun·selled, coun·sel·ling.

to give counsel or advice.

to get or take counsel or advice.

OTHER WORDS FOR counsel

1 recommendation, suggestion.

3 lawyer, attorney; solicitor, barrister.

See synonyms for counsel on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about counsel

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

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

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

synonym study for counsel

1. See advice.

words often confused with counsel

See council.

OTHER WORDS FROM counsel

coun·sel·a·ble; especially British, coun·sel·la·ble, adjectivepre·coun·sel, noun, verb, pre·coun·seled, pre·coun·sel·ing or (especially British) pre·coun·selled, pre·coun·sel·ling.re·coun·sel, verb (used with object), re·coun·seled, re·coun·sel·ing or (especially British) re·coun·selled, re·coun·sel·ling.un·coun·seled, adjective

un·coun·selled, adjectivewell-counseled, adjectivewell-counselled, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH counsel

consul, council, counsel (see confusables note at council)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use counsel in a sentence

The county’s corporation counsel, Janet Anderson-Davis, said that the law requires the Board of Canvassers to certify the election if the county has provided it election results.
For three hours, an obscure county board in Michigan was at the center of U.S. politics|Kayla Ruble, Tom Hamburger, David Fahrenthold|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
He served as the governor’s ethics supervisor, and as chief legal counsel he worked to defend Dunleavy from the ongoing recall effort.
Junior Staffer Says Top Alaska Official Told Her to Keep Allegations of Misconduct Secret|by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News|November 18, 2020|ProPublica
Those actions violated the guarantee of equal protection under the law, according to Matt Morgan, the campaign’s general counsel.
Georgia announces hand audit|Felicia Sonmez, Colby Itkowitz, John Wagner, Derek Hawkins|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
Mark Van Wagoner, legal counsel for the UHSAA, said in an interview that one potential remedy in the case would be to follow the same policy it has over the past several decades — that girls play on predominantly boys’ teams.
Sam Gordon went viral as a football star. Now she’s suing to give more girls a chance to play.|Roman Stubbs|November 11, 2020|Washington Post

Megan Gray, general counsel of rival search engine DuckDuckGo, said in an interview.
Europe fined Google nearly $10 billion for antitrust violations, but little has changed|Jeanne Whalen|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
A psychologist from the Syrian town of Latakia recently told me she had counseled 15 women who had been released from detention.
Escaping Assad’s Rape Prisons: A Survivor Tells Her Story|Jamie Dettmer|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During his time there, Davis counseled students seeking abortions.
A Christian Case for Abortion Rights?|Keli Goff|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Remain devout, patient and persistent in upholding high moral values,” bin Laden counseled.
Ahmed Abdi Godane Is Al-Shabab's Osama bin Laden|Jamie Dettmer|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had apparently been counseled by sceptical teammates that paying into the system at his advanced age would be foolish.
Havana Bids Adios to Conrado Marrero, MLB’s Oldest Player|Peter C. Bjarkman|April 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Top advisers in the White House counseled retreat; she bluntly dismissed the idea.
The Indispensible Nancy Pelosi|Robert Shrum|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The young girl was counseled by Eugene de Rastignac, who took it upon himself to see that she got married.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
He counseled her to seek in literature relief from the bitterness of her wedded life.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
And yet Mrs. Bassett was outwardly friendly, and she privately counseled Marian, quite unnecessarily, to be "nice" to Sylvia.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson
Have I ever, ever in all these years, counseled you to dishonor?
The Reckoning|Robert W. Chambers
The leading men now counseled and gave the order that the people should give him no more food for some days.
Prairie Smoke (Second Edition, Revised)|Melvin Randolph Gilmore

British Dictionary definitions for counsel

counsel

/ (ˈkaʊnsəl) /

noun

advice or guidance on conduct, behaviour, etc

discussion, esp on future procedure; consultationto take counsel with a friend

a person whose advice or guidance is or has been sought

a barrister or group of barristers engaged in conducting cases in court and advising on legal matterscounsel for the prosecution

a policy or plan

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

counsel of perfection excellent but unrealizable advice

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

archaic wisdom; prudence

verb -sels, -selling or -selled or US -sels, -seling or -seled

(tr) to give advice or guidance to

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

(intr) archaic to take counsel; consult

Derived forms of counsel

counsellable or US counselable, adjective

Word Origin for counsel

C13: from Old French counseil, from Latin consilium deliberating body; related to consul, consult

undefined counsel

Avoid confusion with council

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 Idioms and Phrases with counsel

counsel

see keep one's own counsel.

counsel

OTHER WORDS FOR counsel

Idioms about counsel

Origin of counsel

synonym study for counsel

words often confused with counsel

OTHER WORDS FROM counsel

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH counsel

Words related to counsel

How to use counsel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for counsel

Derived forms of counsel

Word Origin for counsel

undefined counsel

Other Idioms and Phrases with counsel