consist

verb con·sist \ kən-ˈsist \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of consist

intransitive verb

1 : lie, reside —usually used with in

Liberty consists in the absence of obstructions …
—A. E. Housman

"In her consists my happiness … "
—William Shakespeare

2 archaic

a : exist, be

b : to be capable of existing

3 : to be composed or made up —usually used with of

Breakfast consisted of cereal, milk, and fruit.

The team consists of five players.

4 : to be consistent

it consists with the facts

See consist defined for English-language learners

See consist defined for kids

Examples of consist in a Sentence

that account consists with the information in the other reports

Recent Examples of consist from the Web

The Fidesz campaign has largely consisted of widespread attacks on George Soros, the Hungarian American billionaire philanthropist.

— john ahlquist, Washington Post, "Hungarians go to the polls today. But are voters enough to protect democracy?," 8 Apr. 2018
The inning consisted of four hits, two walks, a fielder’s choice and an error.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "CMW squanders 4-0 lead, loses 13-4 in baseball action versus North East," 7 Apr. 2018
Pruitt's security team currently consists of 19 agents and includes a fleet of at least 19 vehicles, a source with direct knowledge of Pruitt's security detail said.

— rene marsh, sophie tatum and gregory wallace, CNN, "Pruitt faces renewed questions over cost of security detail," 7 Apr. 2018
Workouts also consist of lunges on slide boards, jumping up on large boxes or balancing on another piece of equipment, the Terra-Core, which also has firm and inflatable sides, but in an oblong shape.

— pia catton, WSJ, "A Ballerina’s Blistering, Not-for-Beginners Routine," 7 Apr. 2018
Pearland's runner-up team consisted of Lindsey Diehl 89-98-187, Caitlyn Evans 96-90-186, Carsyn Lyons 100-96-196, Kaylah angel 95-93-188 and Janelle Gaitan 95-83-178.

— Houston Chronicle, "Golf: Pearland, Dawson headed to regional tourney," 7 Apr. 2018
The team consisted of Robert Roosa, Jack Carter, Anderson Shew, and James Ensley.

— BostonGlobe.com, "2017-18 Boys' Indoor Track All-Scholastics," 7 Apr. 2018
Historically, this island consisted of boutique apartment buildings and homes built in the 1960s.

— alexandra c. peters-rutten, miamiherald, "There is no better place to live and invest than Bay Harbor Islands in South Florida | Miami Herald," 6 Apr. 2018
Medication abortions typically consist of two pills, taken 24 to 48 hours apart.

— anna north, Vox, "What would America look like without Roe v. Wade? These teenagers are finding out.," 6 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of consist

Middle French & Latin; Middle French consister, from Latin consistere, literally, to stop, stand still, from com- + sistere to take a stand; akin to Latin stare to stand — more at stand

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1526

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

consist Synonyms

Phrases

fall in with;

consist

noun con·sist \ ˈkän-ˌsist \

Definition of consist

: makeup or composition (as of coal sizes or a railroad train) by classes, types, or grades and arrangement

Recent Examples of consist from the Web

The Villas consist of 52 single-story condos ranging from 2,501 to 3,615 square feet.

— azcentral, "Luxury homes: $2.75M Phoenix mansion has kids wing, guest quarters," 9 Apr. 2018
For now, though, the headquarters consist of two main rooms in the small trailer, with staff desks in one and group instruction in the other.

— hillary davis, latimes.com, "Newport Junior Lifeguards focus on funding a new $3.25-million headquarters to replace beach trailer," 6 Apr. 2018
March 31 The Final Four round consists of two games in San Antonio: the Loyola Ramblers will first play the Michigan Wolverines before the Kansas Jayhawks compete against the Villanova Wildcats.

— zoe szathmary, Fox News, "March Madness 2018 schedule and what to know," 26 Mar. 2018
Posts on the group's most visible Facebook page consist of mostly pro-gun rights memes, though links and re-posts of anti-liberal content exists.

— josh hafner, USA TODAY, "Three Percenters: What is the gun-toting group? And what do its supporters want?," 1 Mar. 2018
The consists of law enforcement officers from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, the Alabaster Police Department and the Pelham Police Department.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Woman busted at Pelham hotel with black tar heroin, Fentanyl, meth and more," 15 Feb. 2018
The little Liesses consist of three boys and a girl, Gisele.

— taysha murtaugh, Country Living, "7 Things You Need to Know About David and Lauren Liess, HGTV's Newest Stars," 21 July 2017
The Villas consist of 52 single-story condos ranging from 2,501 to 3,615 square feet.

— lorraine longhi, azcentral, "Luxury homes: $3.2M Mesa mansion has NBA-style basketball court, eight-car garage," 26 Mar. 2018
Team 10 consists of various other YouTube celebrities: Erika Costell, Nick Crompton, Chance Sutton, Anthony Trujillo, Kade Speiser, Chad Tepper and Justin Roberts.

— anne nickoloff, cleveland.com, "YouTube celebrity Jake Paul taking "Team 10 Tour" to Jacob's Pavilion in June," 21 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of consist

see ¹consist

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1898

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

CONSIST Defined for Kids

consist

verb con·sist \ kən-ˈsist \

Definition of consist for Students

consisted; consisting

: to be made up or composed

Coal consists mostly of carbon.

Word Root of consist

The Latin word sistere, meaning “to stand,” “to appear,” “to stop,” or “to put,” gives us the root sist. Words from the Latin sistere have something to do with standing, appearing, stopping, or putting. To assist, or help, is to stand by someone in order to give aid. To consist is to be made up of a number of thing put together. To exist, or have actual being, is to appear real. To persist is to refuse to stop doing or saying something.