consent
Americanverb (used without object)
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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:
‘The relationship quickly deteriorated’: My friend’s lawyer settled his injury case without his consent.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million after entering an order vacating a prior consent decree against its predecessor Musical.ly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"Under the settlement, TikTok will pay $300 million immediately and an additional $100 million upon entry of an order vacating a prior consent decree entered against TikTok's predecessor, Musical.ly," the department said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
A judge gave doctors permission to give "potentially life-saving" medical treatment to three children whose parents refused to give consent.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
He drew up a petition, had it signed by a hundred students, and demanded an all-school training workshop on consent.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
Wolford involves a Hawaiʻi law that prohibits individuals from carrying guns on private property unless the owner affirmatively consents.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 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
"Technology has made it possible for them to be created by anyone, anywhere, at anytime, regardless of whether she consents," she added.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2024
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
The court also acquitted them of abusing Graven's psychological frailty, as he had told police prior to his death that he had consented to the stunts, Hamadi's lawyer told Reuters.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The wingman pilot acknowledged his sudden manoeuvre led to the collision, but argued that the lead aircraft's pilot had "tacitly consented" to the manoeuvre since he was aware that filming was taking place.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
There’s a lot of work in the ambient space, where A.I. can listen after patients have consented and help generate notes.
From Slate ● Jan. 21, 2026
Gaytan claimed he took no part in the robbery, but after he consented to a search of his phone, Simonyan said she found text messages sent to one of the alleged gunmen, Eduardo “Active” Lopez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2025
He never seemed to single her out, but sometimes he consented when she suggested that they walk along the green in the twilight.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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
"Women are not consenting to this," she said.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026
But there are things you need to consider before consenting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025
No coward’s eye should light by my 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.
