1
as in lawyers
a person whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients or to advise about legal rights and obligations
if you cannot afford counsel, one will be provided for you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in advisers
a person who gives advice especially professionally
the toy manufacturer hired a public relations counsel to do some damage control
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in consults
to exchange viewpoints or seek advice for the purpose of finding a solution to a problem
concerned parents counseling about the problem of substance abuse in their community
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in guides
to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed
every year the admissions officer counsels thousands of students about the process of applying to college
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in advises
to give advice to
perhaps a psychologist would be better qualified to counsel you
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in suggests
to put (something) forward as one's choice for a wise or proper course of action
I would counsel caution and deliberation in this sensitive matter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 counsels
Jack Fink, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Tess wants to keep certain parts of the past secret from him—that way, Marjorie won’t relearn them—but Jon counsels candor.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
At its core, the dispute will help determine how much authority special counsels have, how transparent the Justice Department must be in politically sensitive investigations, and whether a sitting president can use the courts to keep findings about his own conduct from public view.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Ray Dalio counsels holding amid bubble.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
Hints, counsels, warnings, remonstrations, even encouragements are, in the end, of limited value.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
Moody has been dedicating her practice to helping clients navigate the AI space and counsels nearly a dozen generative voice and audio AI companies.
—Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Kristina Conti, one of the counsels of the victims, said in a press conference at The Hague on Monday that requests for Duterte’s interim release should be denied, since the Duterte family remains powerful in the Philippines and has access to a wealth of resources.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Board members, for their part, will be able to question both parties, their legal counsels and any witnesses who participate at any time during the hearing.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Sep. 2025
Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Licensed therapist Allison Guilbault, who counsels Gen Z clients in New York City, said splitting tabs, sharing Ubers and buying their own drinks has also become the standard.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Kelsey’s group has facilitated 234 face-to-face surrenders through its hotline, which counsels women who might want to surrender their babies, but just about 62 babies have been left in boxes since Kelsey started the organization, according to Kelly, the nurse and company representative.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
Sitting alongside our lawyers in our counsels, defending the state of Texas and having to put my name out there in defense of the state.
—Jack Fink, CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
Tess wants to keep certain parts of the past secret from him—that way, Marjorie won’t relearn them—but Jon counsels candor.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
At its core, the dispute will help determine how much authority special counsels have, how transparent the Justice Department must be in politically sensitive investigations, and whether a sitting president can use the courts to keep findings about his own conduct from public view.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Ray Dalio counsels holding amid bubble.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2025
Hints, counsels, warnings, remonstrations, even encouragements are, in the end, of limited value.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
Moody has been dedicating her practice to helping clients navigate the AI space and counsels nearly a dozen generative voice and audio AI companies.
—Claudia Rosenbaum, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Kristina Conti, one of the counsels of the victims, said in a press conference at The Hague on Monday that requests for Duterte’s interim release should be denied, since the Duterte family remains powerful in the Philippines and has access to a wealth of resources.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Board members, for their part, will be able to question both parties, their legal counsels and any witnesses who participate at any time during the hearing.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Another letter by the Colorado County Clerks Association counsels the same.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Licensed therapist Allison Guilbault, who counsels Gen Z clients in New York City, said splitting tabs, sharing Ubers and buying their own drinks has also become the standard.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Kelsey’s group has facilitated 234 face-to-face surrenders through its hotline, which counsels women who might want to surrender their babies, but just about 62 babies have been left in boxes since Kelsey started the organization, according to Kelly, the nurse and company representative.
—Alana Semuels, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counsels
Noun
-
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey is preparing for his team of lawyers to make their argument in front of the top court, a case defending the state's Save Women's Sports Act, which prohibits those who were assigned male at birth from playing on competitive female sports teams.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
His lawyers have asked the judge to hold an evidentiary hearing that could unfold like the dayslong hearing held last month in Mangione’s state case, where prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office laid out details of how Mangione’s arrest unfolded.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
For example, financial advisors may recommend placing assets with high-growth potential, such as stocks and mutual funds, in a Roth account for eventual tax-free withdrawals, while holding more tax-efficient assets, such as municipal bond funds, in your personal after-tax or brokerage accounts.—
Sharon Epperson,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Cuba’s complicated barter system with Venezuela—exchanging oil for thousands of Cuban doctors, teachers, sports trainers, technical advisers, and intelligence operatives—has endured.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The decision was made without input from an advisory committee that typically consults on the vaccine schedule, said senior officials at HHS.—
Lauran Neergaard,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
-
This level of integration could be a significant boon to the department, said Brian Higgins, a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice who consults with public safety departments across the nation.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Book experiences with locals like Barefoot Billy, who guides an epic, 26-mile Jet Ski tour, or Marianne van den Broek, a professional sand sculptor who leads workshops.—
Kelsey Ogletree,
Midwest Living,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Premium Pliers Gugino, who guides striped bass and bluefish around Boston Harbor, and Rubner never leave the dock without a premium pair of pliers.—
Francesca Krempa,
Outside,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now, rather than recommending the above vaccines, the HHS advises making a decision in conjunction with your health care provider.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Parents with questions about vaccines or any other medical issue should talk to their child’s pediatrician, the AAP advises.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Confrontation, Khamenei suggests, is an inevitability.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
-
As the name suggests, everything—from cover to pages—is black, so just any ink won’t show up.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In a field experiment with hundreds of consultants, GPT-4 improved speed and quality on some knowledge tasks while performance dropped on other, seemingly similar tasks just outside its strengths.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
James Drayton and Roland Mackenzie are Oxford grads, management consultants moving through roles at McKinsey and eventually building a new startup in green energy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Graduation from one of the top 100 Chinese universities confers lifelong financial and professional benefits.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Luigi Mangione confers with his attorney Jacob Kaplan in court Monday.—
Adam Reiss,
NBC news,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Counsels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counsels. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share