consult
Americanverb (used with object)
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to seek advice or information from; ask guidance from.
Consult your lawyer before signing the contract.
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to refer to for information.
Consult your dictionary for the spelling of the word.
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to have regard for (a person's interest, convenience, etc.) in making plans.
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Obsolete. to meditate, plan, or contrive.
verb (used without object)
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to consider or deliberate; take counsel; confer (usually followed bywith ).
He consulted with his doctor.
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to give professional or expert advice; serve as consultant.
noun
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a consultation.
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Archaic. a secret meeting, especially one for seditious purposes.
verb
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to ask advice from (someone); confer with (someone)
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(tr) to refer to for information
to consult a map
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(tr) to have regard for (a person's feelings, interests, etc) in making decisions or plans; consider
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(intr) to make oneself available to give professional advice, esp at scheduled times and for a fee
Synonym Usage
Consult, confer imply talking over a situation or a subject with someone to decide points in doubt. To consult is to seek from a presumably qualified person or source advice, opinion, etc.: to consult an authority. To confer is to exchange views: The partners conferred concerning their business.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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consultsimple
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consultssimple
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have consultedperfect
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has consultedperfect
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am consultingprogressive
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are consultingprogressive
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is consultingprogressive
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have been consultingperfect progressive
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has been consultingperfect progressive
Past
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consultedsimple
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had consultedperfect
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was consultingprogressive
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were consultingprogressive
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had been consultingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of consult
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French consulter, from Latin consultāre “to deliberate,” literally, “to advise repeatedly,” from consulere “to advise, consider, seek advice from”; cf. consul
Explanation
To consult is to give or get help or advice. When you don't know the meaning of a word, you consult a dictionary. That's why you're here, right? People making a big decision will usually consult their family and friends. To consult can also mean a type of professional advice: a consultant is a freelance worker paid to help a business out with something. Consulting is a complicated word that can mean to give or receive advice. When in doubt, find someone you trust to consult.
Vocabulary lists containing consult
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
However, immigrant rights lawyers argued the government failed in its duty to consult the State Department and assess whether it was safe for migrants to return home.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
First she’d need to consult the hospital’s risk-management team.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
But an Alberta judge shut down the process, saying the citizens' initiative was invalid because the separatists had failed to consult with Indigenous groups whose rights could be threatened if the province separated from Canada.
From Barron's • May 25, 2026
The judge ruled that the Alberta government, which approved the petition, failed in its duty to consult with indigenous Albertans.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
If you dishonored your ancestors in some fashion, the only way to atone for that lapse was to consult with a traditional healer or tribal elder, who communicated with the ancestors and conveyed profound apologies.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
