dissented; dissenting; dissents
1
: to withhold assent or approval
2
: to differ in opinion
Three of the justices dissented from the majority opinion.
: difference of opinion
heard voices of dissent at the meeting
: such as
a
: religious nonconformity
permitted no dissent from church teachings
b
law
: a justice's nonconcurrence with a decision of the majority
cited an earlier case in her dissent
called also dissenting opinion
c
: political opposition to a government or its policies
attempts to suppress domestic dissent
Examples of dissent in a Sentence
Verb
The Supreme Court, with two justices dissenting, ruled that the law was constitutional.
anyone who dissented was encouraged to speak out while they had the chance
Noun
Church leaders permitted no dissent from church teachings.
He did everything in his power to suppress political dissent.
These dissents come from prominent scientists and should not be ignored.
She argued in her dissent that Congress had exceeded its authority.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
But behind the scenes, dissenting engineers were sidelined.
—Oscar Chavez-Arrieta, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Semafor Events, semafor.com, 30 June 2025
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent for the three liberal justices that public schools expose children to different views in a multicultural society.
—Arkansas Online, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissent
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Verb
Rehearing en banc petitions are rarely granted especially when, as in this matter, no judge on the three-judge panel offered a dissenting take.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
But behind the scenes, dissenting engineers were sidelined.
—Oscar Chavez-Arrieta, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Noun
The measure ratchets up Putin’s crackdown on dissent, which has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine, one expert said, noting that the move to classify mobilization details was likely a reaction to Ukraine’s drone attacks.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 30 June 2025
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent for the three liberal justices that public schools expose children to different views in a multicultural society.
—Arkansas Online, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissent
Cite this Entry
“Dissent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissent. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
dissent
1 of 2 intransitive verb
dis·sent
di-ˈsent 
1
: to withhold assent or approval
unfair squeezeout transactions—the kind to which public shareholders seem most likely to dissent—R. C. Clark
see also appraisal
R. C. ClarkNote: A shareholder who dissents from a proposed transaction may demand that the corporation buy his or her shares after an appraisal.
2
: to differ in opinion
dissenter
noun
dissent
2 of 2 noun1
: difference of opinion
especially
: a judge's disagreement with the decision of the majority
2
: dissenting opinion at opinion
3
: the judge or group of judges that dissent compare majority
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