consent

verb

con·sent | \ kən-ˈsent

consented; consenting; consents

Definition of consent

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

consent

noun

Definition of consent (Entry 2 of 2)

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 treaties — U.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

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Choose the Right Synonym for consent

Verb

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

Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the other countries boycotting Qatar in the dispute, have not consented to the court’s jurisdiction, though the UAE has, Doha said. — Washington Post, "UAE offers its defense in Qatar lawsuit at UN high court," 28 June 2018 For the safety of Prince Harry and his British Army troop, all British broadcasters and print publications consented to a media blackout during the royal's tour in Afghanistan. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "How Prince Harry Served in Afghanistan in Secret—Despite the Notoriously Cutthroat U.K. Press," 19 Apr. 2019 The program will be available to individuals in the U.S., ages 65 years or older who consent to the study. — Kimberly Chin, WSJ, "Johnson & Johnson to Use Apple Watch App for Heart-Health Study," 17 Jan. 2019 The Constitution assigns the Senate, and only the Senate, with the task of advising the President on his nominee and consenting to the nomination if the circumstances merit. — Gregg Re, Fox News, "Grassley, Collins urge Kavanaugh accuser Christine Ford to reconsider apparent refusal to testify," 19 Sep. 2018 Under New York law, only one person in a conversation has to consent to being recorded. — Michael C. Bender, WSJ, "Trump Makes Most Pointed Criticism Yet of Attorney Michael Cohen," 21 July 2018 However, to take the quiz, users had to consent to give the app access to their and their friends’ Facebook profiles. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "Cambridge Analytica and its many scandals, explained," 21 Mar. 2018 However, two schools can mutually consent to that rule being modified before a game. — Jake Fischer, SI.com, "‘Gray Became the New Black’: How College Basketball Jerseys Went Platinum," 21 Mar. 2018 And yet, for every celebrity adultery story, there are very likely a zillion more that stay hidden under the covers, relationships between consenting adults that don't involve heartbreak, love children, or TMZ. — Marcia Desanctis, Town & Country, "Mark Sanford, Act II," 14 Feb. 2013

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But any time Joe Biden tries to position himself as being better than Trump in that regard, rest assured you’re going to hear from Republicans about women Biden touched without their consent. — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "Why Joe Biden Isn't the Best Alternative to Trump," 6 May 2019 Kardashian West is alleging that the company used her image to sell its products without her consent. — Dan Barna, Allure, "Kim Kardashian Reportedly Makes $1 Million Per Instagram Post," 5 May 2019 No one deserves to have their nudes shared around the Internet or ANYWHERE without their consent. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Ross Lynch's Nudes Allegedly Leaked and Twitter is Freaking Out," 18 Apr. 2019 While verbalizing enjoyment and consent is imperative, paying attention to a partner’s body language is key, too. — Gigi Engle, SELF, "We Asked 15 People With Vaginas How to Make Oral Sex Even Better," 11 Mar. 2019 At first, Sunny did bring up an excellent point: If, in fact, Jordyn was intoxicated, the situation is extremely more complicated, because of consent. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'The View' Host Meghan McCain Gets Heated Over Jordyn Woods and Tristan Thompson Drama," 27 Feb. 2019 Strengthening internet privacy gained traction with the public this year after Facebook acknowledged that the political data firm Cambridge Analytica had ended up with information from 87 million users’ profiles without those users’ consent. — Melody Gutierrez, SFChronicle.com, "California lawmakers approve internet privacy bill, send it to Jerry Brown," 28 June 2018 Along the way, the company has repeatedly announced massive privacy breaches, most recently when 6.8 million users had photos given to third-party apps without their consent. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Facebook Allowed Corporate Partners to Access Private Messages," 19 Dec. 2018 Two women had spoken to The New Yorker on the record, saying Schneiderman repeatedly hit them during the course of their relationships with him in recent years, and never with their consent. — Bloomberg.com, "Four Women Accuse New York Attorney General of Physical Abuse," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'consent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for consent

Last Updated

16 May 2019

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

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More Definitions for consent

consent

verb

English Language Learners Definition of consent

(Entry 1 of 2)

formal : to agree to do or allow something : to give permission for something to happen or be done

consent

noun

English Language Learners Definition of consent (Entry 2 of 2)

somewhat formal

: permission for something to happen or be done

: agreement about an opinion or about something that will happen or be done

See the full definition for consent in the English Language Learners Dictionary

consent

verb

con·sent | \ kən-ˈsent

consented; consenting

Kids Definition of consent

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to express willingness or approval : agree The mayor consented to speak at our banquet.

consent

noun

Kids Definition of consent (Entry 2 of 2)

: approval of or agreement with what is done or suggested by another person You must have a parent's consent to go on the trip.

consent

noun

con·sent

Legal Definition of consent

1a : 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 treaties — U.S. Constitution art. II a contract is formed by the consent of the parties — Louisiana Civil Code specifically : voluntary agreement by a people to organize a civil society and give authority to a government