consent

consent — noun

1. A person's agreement that allows someone else to do a particular thing — for exa

1.nounB1
Definition

A person's agreement that allows someone else to do a particular thing — for example, a doctor can only treat a patient after getting their written consent, or a school needs a parent's consent before taking children on a trip.

Example

Layla gave her written consent before the clinic shared her results with the research team.

collocation: give written consent + 'before' clause

You must ask for the landlord's consent before making changes to the apartment.

collocation: ask for someone's consent

Common collocations
  • give one's consent
  • withhold consent
  • written consent
  • express consent
  • prior consent
  • parental consent
  • mutual consent
Synonyms
  • permission

    Less formal than consent; used for everyday requests like borrowing a pen or entering a room.

  • approval

    Focuses on a positive judgment or endorsement, not necessarily giving the go-ahead for action.

  • authorization

    Formal, official permission granted by someone in power, often in writing.

Antonyms
  • refusal

    A clear statement that someone will not allow something.

  • denial

    Formal rejection of a request or application.

Grammar Patterns

give one's consent to [noun/gerund]

give consent for [noun] to do [something]

withhold consent

Usage Note

Often used in formal or official contexts. The person giving consent is usually the one who has the authority or right to decide. Frequently paired with the verb 'give' (give one's consent) or 'withhold' (refuse consent).

Common Mistakes

I need your consent to join the club meeting.
I need your consent to publish your photo.
'consent' is more formal than 'permission'; it is used for decisions that have real consequences, not for routine social activities.
She gave consent that she would come to the party.
She gave her consent to the use of her photo in the advertisement.
'consent' is not followed by a 'that' clause about future actions; it is followed by 'to' + noun or gerund.

2. A person's willing and clear agreement to take part in sexual activity, given fr

2.nounB2
Definition

A person's willing and clear agreement to take part in sexual activity, given freely and with full understanding of the situation — without pressure, threats, or the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Example

Consent must be given freely and can be withdrawn at any point during the activity.

pattern: consent + can be withdrawn

Benjamin learned that consent is valid only when both people are fully awake and sober.

Common collocations
  • sexual consent
  • mutual consent
  • freely given consent
  • informed consent
  • age of consent
  • withdraw consent
  • affirmative consent
Synonyms
  • permission

    Too general; rarely used in the context of sexual activity in English, where 'consent' is the standard legal and social term.

Antonyms
  • non-consent

    The absence of agreement; often used in legal language.

  • coercion

    Forcing someone to agree through pressure or threats — the opposite of free consent.

Grammar Patterns

give consent

withdraw consent

without consent

Usage Note

This sense is central to sexual-offence law. Unlike sense 1 (general permission), this sense requires that the person giving consent has the capacity to do so — being of legal age, sober, and free from coercion. 'Silence or lack of resistance does not equal consent' is a key legal principle.

Common Mistakes

She did not say no, so that counts as consent.
Consent must be clearly stated or actively shown
silence is not consent.' — Consent is not the absence of a 'no' but the presence of an affirmative 'yes.'

3. A formal written document in which a person states their agreement to something,

3.nounB2
Definition

A formal written document in which a person states their agreement to something, making that agreement officially recognized by law — for example, the form a patient signs before a medical procedure or the paper a parent signs for a minor's travel.

Example

All participants signed a consent form before joining the clinical trial at the hospital.

collocation: sign a consent form

The lawyer asked her client to read every line of the consent agreement before signing.

collocation: consent agreement

Common collocations
  • consent form
  • consent agreement
  • informed consent
  • written consent
  • signed consent
  • parental consent
  • medical consent
Synonyms
  • authorization

    A formal, official permission document; slightly broader than consent, which focuses on agreeing to a specific action.

  • release form

    A specific type of consent document, often used to waive liability.

Grammar Patterns

sign a consent

consent form

consent agreement

Usage Note

Often a countable noun in this sense (a consent, two consents), meaning an actual document, whereas senses 1 and 2 are uncountable. Frequently appears in the compound 'consent form' and in legal phrases like 'informed consent' (full disclosure of risks before agreement).

Common Mistakes

I signed a consent that I agree to the rules.
I signed a consent form agreeing to the terms of the study.
You sign a consent form or a consent document, not just 'a consent.'
The consent is needed.
A signed consent form is needed.
To be legally valid, the consent usually needs to be in writing and signed.

4. Used in the phrase 'by common consent' to mean that most people in a group hold

4.nounC1
Definition

Used in the phrase 'by common consent' to mean that most people in a group hold the same opinion about someone or something — for example, 'by common consent, she was the best player on the team' means almost everyone agreed she was the best.

Example

By common consent, the new library is the finest building in the neighborhood.

fixed phrase: by common consent

Sade was, by common consent, the most dedicated nurse on the whole hospital floor.

Common collocations
  • by common consent
Synonyms
  • unanimously

    Adverb meaning with complete agreement from everyone, stronger than 'by common consent,' which allows for some dissent.

  • consensus

    Noun for general agreement among a group; the phrase 'by consensus' is close to 'by common consent.'

Grammar Patterns

by common consent

Usage Note

This sense only appears in the fixed phrase 'by common consent,' which functions like an adverb meaning 'as everyone agrees.' It cannot be used in other grammatical patterns (e.g., you cannot say 'there was common consent that...' unless you intend the general-permission sense 1). Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 involves actively granting permission, while sense 4 is about shared opinion without any act of granting.

Common Mistakes

By common consent, we need to finish the project.
By common consent, Sumin was the most reliable member of the group.
'By common consent' is used to state a shared opinion about a person or thing, not to express a shared need or intention.

consent — verb

Word family

  • consensual
    adjectiveB2
  • consensus
    nounB2
  • consenting
    adjectiveB2
  • consentingly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Consent, permission, approval, authorization, and agreement all involve saying yes to something, but they differ in formality, scope, and who holds the authority. Permission is the most general and everyday term — a parent gives a child permission to go out, or a colleague gives permission to borrow a stapler. Approval suggests a positive evaluation or endorsement, not necessarily the right to proceed; your boss might approve of your idea without giving you the budget to carry it out. Authorization is more official — it comes from someone with institutional power and is often in writing, like a manager authorizing a payment or the government authorizing a building permit. Agreement is the broadest of the group: it implies mutual understanding between two or more parties, as in reaching an agreement on a contract. Consent is more formal than permission but less institutional than authorization; it is typically given after a request and carries weight — medical consent, legal consent, parental consent. For everyday social use, 'permission' is the safest choice. For serious or official decisions, 'consent' is preferred.

permission ↗approval ↗authorizationagreement ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • by common consent
  • with the consent of
  • without the consent of
  • age of consent
  • informed consent

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'consent' comes from the Latin verb 'consentire,' which is a combination of 'com-' (together) and 'sentire' (to feel). Its original sense was 'to feel together' or 'to share the same feeling,' which evolved into the idea of being in harmony or agreement with someone. The word entered English through Old French 'consentir' in the 13th century, first used in legal and religious contexts before broadening into everyday language.