implied consent

American  

noun

Law.

1. a manifestation of consent to something through conduct, including inaction or silence.

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Etymology

Origin of implied consent

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

In France, as in most other countries, marital rape is now enshrined in law, where prior to 1990 men could argue that marriage implied consent.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

All four charges against Cutler — which also included failure to exercise due care and violating implied consent — were misdemeanors.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2025

Andrew Hinkel, the lawyer for Mitchell, said that opens a dangerous precedent to all sorts of implied consent such as searching a driver’s cell phone or checking a GPS device.

From Washington Times • Apr. 23, 2019

The court actually arrived at this conclusion several terms ago, but Birchfield explicitly states that implied consent laws aren’t a valid workaround.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2016

Mr. Nicholson had remarked his son’s entanglement with satisfaction, tinged by humour; and his smile, if it still was a thought contemptuous, had implied consent.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 10 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis