consent

/kənˈsent/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈsent/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈsent/ (ame, mw)

consent — noun

  • consentsingular
  • consentsplural

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

1.名詞B1
釋義

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.

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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.

反義詞
  • refusal

    A clear statement that someone will not allow something.

  • denial

    Formal rejection of a request or application.

文法句型

give one's consent to [noun/gerund]

give consent for [noun] to do [something]

withhold consent

用法筆記

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).

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

Consent must be given freely and can be withdrawn at any point during the activity.

pattern: consent + can be withdrawn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.

同義詞
  • permission

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

反義詞
  • 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.

文法句型

give consent

withdraw consent

without consent

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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.

文法句型

sign a consent

consent form

consent agreement

用法筆記

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).

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C1
釋義

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.

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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.'

文法句型

by common consent

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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