consented; consenting; consents
1
: to give assent or approval : agree
consent to being tested
She consented to our request.
2
archaic
: to be in concord in opinion or sentiment
consenter
noun
1
: compliance in or approval of what is done or proposed by another : acquiescence
he shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties—
U.S. Constitution
U.S. Constitution2
: agreement as to action or opinion
specifically
: voluntary agreement by a people to organize a civil society and give authority to the government
Examples of consent in a Sentence
Verb
He was reluctant at first but finally consented.
refused to consent to the marriage
Noun
He did not give his consent for the use of his name in the advertisement.
No one may use the vehicle without the consent of the owner.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katrina Bishop, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Two women were in the front, and the driver consented to a search of the vehicle.
—Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 24 Oct. 2025
David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Iwaya said China must immediately stop conducting such activities without Tokyo's consent.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for consent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The fine was related to how users consented to data collection.
—Katrina Bishop, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Two women were in the front, and the driver consented to a search of the vehicle.
—Violet Ikonomova, Freep.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
There are plenty of other instances in which people were subjected to medical experiments under the guise of scientific necessity—without their knowledge or consent.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Iwaya said China must immediately stop conducting such activities without Tokyo's consent.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for consent
Cite this Entry
“Consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consent. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
consent
noun
con·sent
1
a
: compliance in or approval of what is done or proposed by another
specifically
: the voluntary agreement or acquiescence by a person of age or with requisite mental capacity who is not under duress or coercion and usually who has knowledge or understanding see also age of consent, informed consent, rape, statutory rape
b
: a defense claiming that the victim consented to an alleged crime (as rape)
2
: agreement as to action or opinion
shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties—U.S. Constitution art. II
U.S. Constitution art. IIa contract is formed by the consent of the parties—Louisiana Civil Code
Louisiana Civil Code
specifically
: voluntary agreement by a people to organize a civil society and give authority to a government
consent
intransitive verb
consenter
noun
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