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
: a judge's or justice's nonconcurrence with a decision of the majority
especially
: a separate opinion by a judge or justice that differs from the decision of the court
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
Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Amid the current crackdown, there are grave concerns that authorities will resort to swift sham trials and arbitrary executions of the protestors, to intimidate people who might dissent.
—Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
Gioia Woods, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
But the high court, without comment or any noted dissents, refused to intervene.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissent
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Verb
No justices dissented from the brief order denying the appeal without explanation.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
Amid the current crackdown, there are grave concerns that authorities will resort to swift sham trials and arbitrary executions of the protestors, to intimidate people who might dissent.
—Hamid Kashani, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2026
Noun
Universities are under threat of government interference, book banning has reached unprecedented levels, journalists and artists and media outlets and attorneys are being punished, silenced, and doxed, and dissent everywhere is being criminalized.
—Gioia Woods, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
But the high court, without comment or any noted dissents, refused to intervene.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dissent
Cite this Entry
“Dissent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissent. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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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