consent
Americanverb (used without object)
-
consents,
present (3rd person singular)
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consented,
past participle, past
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consenting
present participle
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to permit, approve, or agree; comply or yield (often followed by to or an infinitive).
He consented to the proposal. We asked her permission, and she consented.
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Archaic. to agree in sentiment, opinion, etc.; be in harmony.
noun
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consents
plural
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permission, approval, or agreement; sanction; acquiescence.
He gave his consent to the marriage.
- Synonyms:
- concurrence, accord
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agreement in sentiment, opinion, a course of action, etc..
By common consent he was appointed official delegate.
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Archaic. accord; concord; harmony.
verb
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to give assent or permission (to do something); agree; accede
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obsolete (intr) to be in accord; agree in opinion, feelings, etc
noun
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acquiescence to or acceptance of something done or planned by another; permission
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accordance or harmony in opinion; agreement (esp in the phrase with one consent )
-
the lowest age at which the law recognizes the right of a person to consent to sexual intercourse
Synonym Usage
See agree.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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consenternoun
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nonconsentnoun
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preconsentnoun
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reconsentverb (used without object)
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consentingadjective
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nonconsentingadjective
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unconsentingadjective
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consentinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
consentsimple
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consentssimple
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have consentedperfect
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has consentedperfect
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am consentingprogressive
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are consentingprogressive
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is consentingprogressive
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have been consentingperfect progressive
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has been consentingperfect progressive
Past
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consentedsimple
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had consentedperfect
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was consentingprogressive
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were consentingprogressive
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had been consentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consent
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb consenten, concenten, from Anglo-French, Old French consentir, from Latin consentīre “to join or share a feeling; concur”; noun derivative of the verb; see consensus
Explanation
Before you have surgery, you'd better give your consent, because the surgeon can't get his scalpel anywhere near your skin without first getting this permission from you. Consent is permission that can be given or taken away. On the night of the school dance, your parents might consent to extend your curfew by an hour. A homeowner who won't give a developer consent to tear down her house and build a shopping mall might finally consent after receiving a very large check from the developer.
Vocabulary lists containing consent
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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The Bill of Rights
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Common Senses: Sent, Sens ("Feel")
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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.
See Examples For:
Regulations on AI companion bots took effect in July, aiming to curb emotional dependency and banning the creation of digital clones of real people without their consent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer representing one of the accused students, called the case “a significant inflection point” in the debate over consent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Among its provisions, that law requires parental notification and consent, with an opt-out option, before students participate in surveys asking about sensitive private information such as religious beliefs, sexual behavior or mental health problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
At least 19 states, including New York, have a higher bar for the level of intoxication required to deem someone incapacitated and unable to consent.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
I was sure now that he was a natural Communicant; his consent and a little practice should serve to lower his unwitting barrier.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
He said the company is still seeking relevant licenses and legal consents, so they do not have a launch date and it "may take some time".
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
These consents, after all, are legal agreements that terminate a biological parent’s legal claim to a child and vest those rights in non-biological parents.
From Slate ● May 13, 2026
The transaction is expected to close in mid-2026, subject to conditions, including regulatory approvals, client consents and the support of Janus Henderson’s shareholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
And he can remain on our soil only when the sovereign — in the U.S., that’s “We the People” — consents to it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2025
He consents without a murmur, all join in a joyful chorus, and the curtain falls upon the lovers kneeling to receive Don Pedro’s blessing in attitudes of the most romantic grace.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
He accused them of directly engaging "in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Although 88 agents consented to the forensic imaging of their personal phones, Robbins said none of those had been imaged at the time of the hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
They wrote For the People who consented to be governed by it, which includes you.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
That arrangement quietly splits the person who is being watched from the person who consented to the watching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Much against her will, Jo at length consented to sacrifice a day to Mrs. Grundy, and help her sister through what she regarded as ‘a nonsensical business’.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
These "pre-mortem" tissue samples came from consenting patients undergoing heart bypass procedures at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
He called for their release from the detention center, saying he is concerned that they will be pressured into signing documents consenting to their removal from the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
If a journalist wants an on-the-record interview with someone in Objection’s orbit, they are asked to sign an agreement consenting in advance to the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
“If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here,” the U.S. senator said during a congressional hearing.
From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2026
Now, being a man, I could not help consenting.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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.
