Definition of consignnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word consign distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of consign are commit, confide, entrust, and relegate. While all these words mean "to assign to a person or place for a definite purpose," consign suggests removing from one's control with formality or finality.

consigned the damaging notes to the fire

When is it sensible to use commit instead of consign?

While the synonyms commit and consign are close in meaning, commit may express the general idea of delivering into another's charge or the special sense of transferring to a superior power or to a special place of custody.

committed the felon to prison

When could confide be used to replace consign?

While in some cases nearly identical to consign, confide implies entrusting with great assurance or reliance.

confided complete control of my affairs to my attorney

In what contexts can entrust take the place of consign?

The words entrust and consign are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, entrust implies committing with trust and confidence.

the president is entrusted with broad powers

When would relegate be a good substitute for consign?

The synonyms relegate and consign are sometimes interchangeable, but relegate implies a consigning to a particular class or sphere often with a suggestion of getting rid of.

relegated to an obscure position in the company

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of consign Right around that time, the Venice Film Festival saw Mamoru Hosoda’s anime epic Scarlet, in which the Danish prince became an ass-kicking Danish princess consigned to a hellish and phantasmagoric underworld. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026 But third base, which had originally been consigned to DJ LeMahieu — who turned out to be finished — was a mess last year, as was the infield defense as a whole, and Cashman was willing to eat all of $32-plus million on McMahon’s contract through 2027 in order to fix it. Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 11 Apr. 2026 Most countries would prefer American hegemony to a multipolar world where they are consigned to one of China’s or Russia’s spheres of influence. Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026 Yet rather than being consigned to history, many football fans still see Savile as a bogeyman to be weaponised in the name of tribal point-scoring. Simon Hughes, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for consign
Recent Examples of Synonyms for consign
Verb
  • The commission also sent its findings to the Kane County state’s attorney, the Chicago Police Department and police departments in towns where other major immigration enforcement actions occurred, including Elgin, Franklin Park and Evanston, Pritzker said.
    Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
  • Riquelme Vega, a Chilean Dutch cocaine importer also in the Super Cartel, wanted to murder a rival in Dubai by sending a team of Colombian assassins to the Emirates, Kinahan voiced his disapproval.
    Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Then Cash made another surprising move by leaving Vilade in to hit against Gaddis rather than pinch-hitting lefty Jake Fraley, and that also paid off when Vilade delivered an RBI single up the middle.
    Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The country’s labor market didn’t come to a standstill, as was the case in other countries in the region such as the United Arab Emirates where the vast majority of workers are migrants who tried to leave, but for Rozen, something new and troubling was laid bare.
    Theia Chatelle, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Limon won his Super Tiebreaker to hand the Scots the sweep.
    Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 2 May 2026
  • But Ottawa was whistled for consecutive penalties in the final minute of the frame to hand Boston a chance to answer.
    Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • That is not too much to ask of students, our teachers, or the institutions entrusted with launching us into our careers as physicians, researchers, and healers.
    Uzma Rentia, STAT, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Success, instead, should be measured by whether a threat that unfolds is mitigated by the planning and the response of those who are entrusted to secure the scene.
    Juliette Kayyem, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The family and foundation of Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi say the human rights activist has been denied proper treatment and has not gotten better since being transferred from prison to a hospital.
    Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
  • Over the coming two decades, baby boomers and older generations are projected to transfer around $84 trillion to younger heirs and charitable causes by 2045.
    Ed Smith-Lewis, Fortune, 2 May 2026
Verb
  • The casting has always managed to feel diverse, but in a guileless, incidental way, giving the appearance of multicultural inclusion without espousing any explicitly progressive viewpoints.
    Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
  • Inning-ending calls have been overturned, giving hitters another opportunity that, in some cases, has led to game-changing home runs.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The truck was en route to deliver bread to the airport when it was grazed by the plane.
    Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026
  • At the building’s peak, five-foot-tall concrete letters spell out a hundred and three words of a speech delivered by Obama in Selma, Alabama, in 2015, on the fiftieth anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when John Lewis and other civil-rights activists were beaten at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
    Peter Slevin, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Verb
  • The Royals took a 7-6 lead and never relinquished it.
    Jaylon Thompson May 2, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2026
  • The team will relinquish its district title and conduct a full audit of its athletic eligibility process.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Consign.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/consign. Accessed 4 May. 2026.

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