consult

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To seek the opinion or advice of another.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kuhnsuhlt

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

kənˈsʌlt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

To seek the opinion or advice of another; to take counsel; to deliberate together; to confer.
To ask advice of; to seek the opinion of (a person)
To deliberate upon; to take for.
To work as a consultant or contractor rather than as a full-time employee of a firm.
To have reference to, in judging or acting; to have regard to; to consider; as, to consult one's wishes.
To bring about by counsel or contrivance; to devise; to contrive.

noun

A visit, e.g. to a doctor; a consultation.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B1 · Intermediate
Frequency: Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To seek the opinion or advice of another; to take counsel; to deliberate together; to confer.

Used this way, consult is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use consult

“Consult your local broker.”verb

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

consult together

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

consultationnounDerived noun
A conference (usually with someone important).

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

consulting companynounCompound term
A firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee.
consulting firmnounCompound term
A firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee.
consulting servicenounCompound term
Service provided by a professional advisor (e.g., a lawyer or doctor or CPA etc.).
management consultingnounCompound term
A service industry that provides advice to those in charge of running a business.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to seek the opinion or advice of another

confer

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “consult” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.