What does "consult" mean?
A visit to consult somebody, such as a doctor; a consultation.
Consult
/ˈkɒnsʌlt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A visit to consult somebody, such as a doctor; a consultation.
- Grammar: consult is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: refer, academic discipline approach, accessed, advise.
- Useful contrasts: act alone, despots, disregard.
- Usage evidence: You'd better consult the doctor.
How to use "consult"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "consult" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "consult" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "consult" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "consult" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "consult" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "refer" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "consult", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A visit to consult somebody, such as a doctor; a consultation. US, countable
- 2 The act of consulting or deliberating; consultation. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"For firſt upon conſult of reaſon, there will bee found no eaſie aſſurance for to faſten a materiall or temperamentall propriety upon any nation; […]"
- 3 The result of consultation; determination; decision. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"[T]he council broke; / And all their grave conſults diſſolv'd in ſmoke."
- 4 A council; a meeting for consultation. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"a consult of coquettes"
- 5 Agreement; concert. countable, obsolete, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To seek the opinion or advice of another; to take counsel; to deliberate together; to confer; to advise. intransitive
"Let us consult upon to-morrow's business."
- 2 advise professionally wordnet
- 3 To advise or offer expertise. intransitive
"Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I’m a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is."
- 4 have a conference in order to talk something over wordnet
- 5 To work as a consultant or contractor rather than as a full-time employee of a firm. intransitive
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 seek information from wordnet
- 7 To ask advice of; to seek the opinion of (a person) transitive
"If you have no library commission, consult a lawyer and get from him a careful statement of what can be done under present statutory regulations."
- 8 get or ask advice from wordnet
- 9 To refer to (something) for information. transitive
"Which reminds me that I have never remembered from that hour to consult the dictionary upon a selvage."
- 10 To have reference to, in judging or acting; to have regard to; to consider; as, to consult one's wishes. transitive
"We are […] to consult the necessities of life, rather than matters of ornament and delight."
- 11 To deliberate upon; to take for. obsolete, transitive
"Many things were there consulted for the future, yet nothing was positively resolved."
- 12 To bring about by counsel or contrivance; to devise; to contrive. obsolete, transitive
"Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"You'd better consult the doctor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "consult"?
Common synonyms include: refer, academic discipline approach, accessed, advise, advise with, advising.
How do you use "consult" in a sentence?
You'd better consult the doctor.
How do you pronounce "consult"?
Pronounced /ˈkɒnsʌlt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle French consulte. In sense “council”, it represents Latin cōnsultum, Italian consulto; and it may have been often taken as a direct formation from the verb.
Etymology 2
From Middle French consulter, from Latin cōnsultō (“to deliberate, consult”), frequentative of cōnsulō (“to consult, deliberate, consider, reflect upon, ask advice”), from com- (“together”) + -sulō, from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- (“to take, grab”).