coun·sel
ˈkau̇n(t)-səl 
1
a
: advice given especially as a result of consultation
He was unwise to reject my counsel.
b
: a policy or plan of action or behavior
2
3
4
a
plural counsel
(1)
: a lawyer engaged in the trial or management of a case in court
(2)
: a lawyer appointed to advise and represent in legal matters an individual client or a corporate and especially a public body
counseled or counselled; counseling or counselling
ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)liŋ
; counsels
; counsels
: advise
… counselled them to avoid rash actions …—
George Orwell
George Orwell
: consult
… I remember Englishmen, like the Colensos, who sat and counseled with us; but above all, I remember Coleridge-Taylor.—W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois
Synonyms
Examples of counsel in a Sentence
Noun
We seek counsel from the rich and powerful to learn their secret …
—Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Feb. 2004
God had done a poor job, and Soaphead suspected that he himself could have done better. It was in fact a pity that the Maker had not sought his counsel.
—Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, (1970) 1994
No matter how much time he is given, counsel would always like more, but the Chief Justice will not grant an extra minute unless the lawyer is responding to a question from the bench.
—Robert H. Bork, The Tempting Of America, 1990
Counsel were to be employed. … And when the matter had been decided by the lawyers, Lord Fawn was to express his regret for having suspected his lady-love!
—Anthony Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds, 1871
You were unwise to reject my counsel.
The student sought counsel from her teacher.
She is serving as counsel for the defendant.
All counsel are expected to obey the rules of the court.
Verb
He balked at authority and, according to Mr. Green, tuned you out if you tried to counsel him.
—David Grann, New Republic, 14 Feb. 2000
She had six children, whom she counseled and with great wisdom and patience.
—Erma Bombeck, The Best of Bombeck, (1965) 1967
I had counselled Catherine to dine upstairs, but as soon as he perceived her vacant seat he sent me to call her.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
He counsels people who are trying to quit drinking.
concerned parents counseling about the problem of substance abuse in their community
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Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Feb. 2004
God had done a poor job, and Soaphead suspected that he himself could have done better. It was in fact a pity that the Maker had not sought his counsel.
—Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, (1970) 1994
No matter how much time he is given, counsel would always like more, but the Chief Justice will not grant an extra minute unless the lawyer is responding to a question from the bench.
—Robert H. Bork, The Tempting Of America, 1990
Counsel were to be employed. … And when the matter had been decided by the lawyers, Lord Fawn was to express his regret for having suspected his lady-love!
—Anthony Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds, 1871
You were unwise to reject my counsel.
The student sought counsel from her teacher.
She is serving as counsel for the defendant.
All counsel are expected to obey the rules of the court.
Verb
He balked at authority and, according to Mr. Green, tuned you out if you tried to counsel him.
—David Grann, New Republic, 14 Feb. 2000
She had six children, whom she counseled and with great wisdom and patience.
—Erma Bombeck, The Best of Bombeck, (1965) 1967
I had counselled Catherine to dine upstairs, but as soon as he perceived her vacant seat he sent me to call her.
—Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847
He counsels people who are trying to quit drinking.
concerned parents counseling about the problem of substance abuse in their community
See More
Recent Examples on the WebShelly Tan, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
Given the risk that the wrong people win out in the end, Bevins counsels sobriety.
—Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 20 Sep. 2023
Former President Donald Trump's defense team filed papers Sunday night in further support of his request that Judge Tanya Chutkan recuse herself in the federal 2020 election conspiracy case brought by special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, D.C.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2023
The gun crimes first surfaced as part of a plea deal special counsel David Weiss reached with Hunter Biden in June.
—Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2023
The indictments have been charged by a special counsel.
—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2023
Weeks later, on Aug. 11, Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated Weiss, who was originally appointed by then-President Donald Trump, to special counsel, granting him broader authority to press charges against Hunter Biden in any district in the country.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2023
If not for Lisa Rogell, who was serving as counsel at Interscope, Rand Hoffman might have crushed the deal.
—Les Borsai, Spin, 14 Sep. 2023
Weiss’s appointment as a special counsel last month also appears to contradict that position, as the appointment would have been unnecessary had Weiss faced no roadblocks.
—Sarah Bedford, Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2023
Taylor Romine, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023
Mary Eileen Mullen, a human services worker who counseled people in economic distress, died of glioblastoma Sept. 2 at her Hamilton home.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
The boys were counseled on making better decisions and sent on their way.
—cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Police charged Lich and Barber, along with other organizers, with mischief, counseling others to commit mischief, intimidation and obstructing police.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2023
The Bensons were counseled on the risks of using LMWH — the most significant is excessive bleeding or hemorrhage — but both felt confident in their decision.
—Sadia Rafiquddin, STAT, 31 Aug. 2023
The placards counsel customers that, while legitimate service animals are welcome inside, emotional support animals and pets definitely are not.
—Sue Carlton Tampa Bay Times (tns), al, 18 Aug. 2023
Donald attempted to counsel young players from the sideline, and during practices with the Raiders.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
The members ended up attending after the Dramatists Guild counseled them to attend and voice support for the writers.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2023
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Noun
According to folk tales, Chinese rebels during the Yuan Dynasty, led by future Chinese Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and his military counsel Liu Bowen, used mooncakes to secretly transport messages while fighting against the Mongols.
—Shelly Tan, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023
Given the risk that the wrong people win out in the end, Bevins counsels sobriety.
—Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 20 Sep. 2023
Former President Donald Trump's defense team filed papers Sunday night in further support of his request that Judge Tanya Chutkan recuse herself in the federal 2020 election conspiracy case brought by special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, D.C.
—Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2023
The gun crimes first surfaced as part of a plea deal special counsel David Weiss reached with Hunter Biden in June.
—Ashley Oliver, Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2023
The indictments have been charged by a special counsel.
—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2023
Weeks later, on Aug. 11, Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated Weiss, who was originally appointed by then-President Donald Trump, to special counsel, granting him broader authority to press charges against Hunter Biden in any district in the country.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2023
If not for Lisa Rogell, who was serving as counsel at Interscope, Rand Hoffman might have crushed the deal.
—Les Borsai, Spin, 14 Sep. 2023
Weiss’s appointment as a special counsel last month also appears to contradict that position, as the appointment would have been unnecessary had Weiss faced no roadblocks.
—Sarah Bedford, Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2023
Verb
The school is offering mental health and counseling resources to its families, according to the message.
—Taylor Romine, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023
Mary Eileen Mullen, a human services worker who counseled people in economic distress, died of glioblastoma Sept. 2 at her Hamilton home.
—Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023
The boys were counseled on making better decisions and sent on their way.
—cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Police charged Lich and Barber, along with other organizers, with mischief, counseling others to commit mischief, intimidation and obstructing police.
—Peter Aitken, Fox News, 6 Sep. 2023
The Bensons were counseled on the risks of using LMWH — the most significant is excessive bleeding or hemorrhage — but both felt confident in their decision.
—Sadia Rafiquddin, STAT, 31 Aug. 2023
The placards counsel customers that, while legitimate service animals are welcome inside, emotional support animals and pets definitely are not.
—Sue Carlton Tampa Bay Times (tns), al, 18 Aug. 2023
Donald attempted to counsel young players from the sideline, and during practices with the Raiders.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
The members ended up attending after the Dramatists Guild counseled them to attend and voice support for the writers.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counsel.' 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
Noun and Verb
Middle English conseil, from Anglo-French cunseil, from Latin consilium, from consulere to consult
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of counsel was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing counsel
Dictionary Entries Near counsel
Cite this Entry
“Counsel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counsel. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
counsel
1 of 2 noun
coun·sel
ˈkau̇n(t)-səl
1
: advice given
2
: the act of deliberating or consulting
took counsel together
3
plural counsel
: a lawyer who represents a person or group in a court of law
counsel
2 of 2 verb
counseled or counselled; counseling or counselling
-s(ə-)liŋ
1
: to give advice to
counsel a student on a choice of studies
2
: to seek advice : consult
counsel with friends
Medical Definition
counsel
1 of 2 noun
coun·sel
ˈkau̇n(t)-səl
: advice given especially as a result of consultation
counsel
2 of 2 transitive verb
counseled or counselled; counseling or counselling
-s(ə-)liŋ
: to advise especially seriously and formally after consultation
Legal Definition
counsel
1 of 2 noun
coun·sel
ˈkau̇n-səl
plural counsel
: lawyer: as
a
: a lawyer participating in the management or trial of a case in court
…to have the assistance of counsel for his defense—U.S. Constitution amend. VI
U.S. Constitution amend. VIa right to counsel
b
: a lawyer appointed or engaged to advise or represent a client in legal matters (as negotiations or the drafting of documents) compare attorney
Note: A judge who has acted as counsel in a matter (as by advising an investigator) is disqualified from hearing the case.
Etymology
Noun
Old French conseil advice, from Latin consilium discussion, advice, council, from consulere to consult
More from Merriam-Webster on counsel
Nglish: Translation of counsel for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of counsel for Arabic Speakers
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