consent

1 of 2

verb

con·​sent kən-ˈsent How to pronounce consent (audio)
consented; consenting; consents

intransitive verb

1
: to give assent or approval : agree
consent to being tested
She consented to our request.
2
archaic : to be in concord in opinion or sentiment
consenter noun
consentingly adverb

consent

2 of 2

noun

1
: compliance in or approval of what is done or proposed by another : acquiescence
he shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treatiesU.S. Constitution
2
: agreement as to action or opinion
specifically : voluntary agreement by a people to organize a civil society and give authority to the government
Choose the Right Synonym for consent

assent, consent, accede, acquiesce, agree, subscribe mean to concur with what has been proposed.

assent implies an act involving the understanding or judgment and applies to propositions or opinions.

voters assented to the proposal

consent involves the will or feelings and indicates compliance with what is requested or desired.

consented to their daughter's going

accede implies a yielding, often under pressure, of assent or consent.

officials acceded to the prisoners' demands

acquiesce implies tacit acceptance or forbearance of opposition.

acquiesced to his boss's wishes

agree sometimes implies previous difference of opinion or attempts at persuasion.

finally agreed to come along

subscribe implies not only consent or assent but hearty approval and active support.

subscribes wholeheartedly to the idea

Examples of consent in a Sentence

Verb He was reluctant at first but finally consented. refused to consent to the marriage Noun He did not give his consent for the use of his name in the advertisement. No one may use the vehicle without the consent of the owner.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Enbridge says the Bad River Band violated a 1992 agreement One of the biggest arguments made by Enbridge on Thursday was over a 1992 agreement in which, according to the fossil fuel company, the Band consented to having Line 5 on its land for 50 years. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2024 Neither had ever consented to the public display of those photographs for any reason. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Professor Zoellner has graciously consented to briefly withdraw his critical gaze from high art and cast an eye for SPIN at classic pop and rock lyrics. Tom Zoellner, SPIN, 21 Feb. 2024 Victims would be able to sue people involved in the creation and distribution of such images if the person knew or recklessly disregarded that the victim did not consent to the material. Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 30 Jan. 2024 But Wyden believes that Americans should have the opportunity to opt out of consenting to such invasive, secretive data collection. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024 The bill allows for parents to consent to their children being questioned by police. Steve Hershey, Baltimore Sun, 22 Jan. 2024 Because of those risks, algorithm developers, including Bitterman, emphasize that patients need to be able to consent to new tools that dig into their medical information. Katie Palmer, STAT, 11 Jan. 2024 The study argues that children cannot consent to taking part in highly dangerous activities such as impact sports, nor can adults give informed consent on their behalf. Issy Ronald, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
Noun
Friedlander likes that the contract addresses consent, control, compensation and transparency. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2024 If an eighth-grader in California shared a nude photo of a classmate with friends without consent, the student could conceivably be prosecuted under state laws dealing with child pornography and disorderly conduct. Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Don’t fall into a trap of thinking one form of consent covers all your use cases in all jurisdictions. Forrester, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 With this decision, is there a chance that even without consent, frozen embryos that exist today will be around long after their biological parents are gone? Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 Planned Parenthood Great Plains said the Project Veritas video was filmed without the staff’s knowledge or consent and had been heavily doctored and edited. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024 Then the committee agreed to adopt the amendment by vocal consent. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024 In August, a federal judge blocked an Arkansas law that would have made parental consent a requirement for minors to create new social media accounts from going into effect, in a ruling that questioned the law’s constitutionality and effectiveness, the Associated Press reported. Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Ohio’s legislation would have required social media platforms to obtain parental consent before creating accounts for children under age 16. Sara Smart, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English consenten, concenten "to be in agreement, assent (to), approve, comply, connive (in a crime)," borrowed from Anglo-French cunsentir, consentir "to grant, permit, hand over, support, give in, agree" (also continental Old French), going back to Latin consentīre "to join in feeling, be in agreement, concur in opinion, (of things) be in harmony," from con- con- + sentīre "to perceive, feel, discern" — more at sense entry 1

Noun

Middle English consent, concent "agreement, approval, connivance," borrowed from Anglo-French consent, cunsent, noun derivative of cunsentir "to grant, permit, consent entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of consent was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near consent

Cite this Entry

“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consent. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

consent

1 of 2 verb
con·​sent kən-ˈsent How to pronounce consent (audio)
: to express willingness or approval : agree
consenter noun

consent

2 of 2 noun
: approval of what is done or suggested

Legal Definition

consent

noun
con·​sent
1
a
: compliance in or approval of what is done or proposed by another
specifically : the voluntary agreement or acquiescence by a person of age or with requisite mental capacity who is not under duress or coercion and usually who has knowledge or understanding see also age of consent, informed consent, rape, statutory rape
b
: a defense claiming that the victim consented to an alleged crime (as rape)
2
: agreement as to action or opinion
shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treatiesU.S. Constitution art. II
a contract is formed by the consent of the partiesLouisiana Civil Code
specifically : voluntary agreement by a people to organize a civil society and give authority to a government
consent intransitive verb
consenter noun

More from Merriam-Webster on consent

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