consign

/kənˈsaɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /kənˈsaɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /kən-ˈsīn/ (ame, mw)

consign — verb

  • consignpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • consignshe / she / it
  • consignedpast simple
  • consigning-ing form

1. to arrange for goods or products to be shipped to a person, store, or organisati

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to arrange for goods or products to be shipped to a person, store, or organisation, typically for them to sell, store, or deliver further.

例句

The pottery studio in Kyoto consigned fifty ceramic bowls to a gallery in Milan.

consign [goods] + to [place/person]

Elena consigned her grandmother's silverware to an auction house before she moved abroad.

consign + personal possessions + to [business]

同義詞
  • ship

    more general and everyday; 'ship' does not imply a commercial agent relationship

  • dispatch

    more formal; focuses on sending out promptly

  • forward

    focuses on onward transmission rather than the initial shipment

反義詞
  • receive

    to take delivery of goods rather than send them

  • withhold

    to keep back rather than send out

文法句型

consign + goods/products + to + person/institution

用法筆記

Common in commercial and logistics contexts. The receiver is typically a business (agent, retailer, auction house) rather than an individual consumer.

常見錯誤

❌I consigned the letter to my friend.
✅I sent the letter to my friend.
💡'consign' is for commercial shipments or formal transfer, not everyday personal mailing.

2. to place someone or something under the care or control of another person or ins

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to place someone or something under the care or control of another person or institution, trusting them to look after it properly.

例句

Before her trip to Chile, Fatima consigned her cat to the care of her neighbour Wei.

consign [living being] + to the care of [person]

The elderly professor consigned his entire collection of research notes to the university archive.

consign [objects] + to [institution] for safekeeping

同義詞
  • entrust

    more common in everyday use; implies personal trust rather than institutional arrangement

  • hand over

    less formal; simply means to give control to another person

  • commend

    more literary; often implies care and protection as well as trust

反義詞
  • retain

    to keep something in one's own care instead of giving it to another

  • abandon

    to leave behind without arranging for care

文法句型

consign + something/someone + to + care/keeping of + person/institution

用法筆記

More formal than 'entrust', with a slightly older-fashioned tone. Often implies a legal or institutional arrangement rather than a casual favour. Object can be a person, an animal, or valuable items.

常見錯誤

❌I consigned my phone to my friend for the afternoon.
✅I left my phone with my friend for the afternoon.
💡'consign' is too formal for casual, short-term favours.

3. to force someone or something into an unpleasant, unwanted situation from which

3.動詞及物C1
釋義

to force someone or something into an unpleasant, unwanted situation from which escape is very difficult or impossible.

例句

Without international aid, the drought-stricken region was consigned to years of hunger and hardship.

passive: be consigned to [negative situation]

The director's first short film was consigned to near-total obscurity after a poor reception at the festival.

passive: be consigned to obscurity

同義詞
  • doom

    stronger and more dramatic; often implies a tragic or predetermined end

  • condemn

    overlaps heavily, but 'condemn' can also imply a moral judgment or legal punishment

  • relegate

    usually implies sending to a lower rank or position rather than complete destruction

  • banish

    suggests forced removal from a place or community

反義詞
  • rescue

    to take someone out of an unpleasant situation rather than placing them into one

  • save

    to prevent someone from entering an undesirable state

文法句型

be consigned to + [negative situation/outcome]

consign + someone/something + to + [negative outcome]

用法筆記

Frequently appears in the passive voice ('be consigned to'). The object is always followed by a reference to an undesirable state or outcome — commonly obscurity, history, failure, oblivion, flames, or hardship.

常見錯誤

❌The book was consigned to the bestseller list.
✅The book was consigned to the remainder bin.
💡'consign to' carries a negative or fateful tone; it does not work with positive outcomes.
❌She consigned herself to study harder.
✅She resigned herself to studying harder.
💡'resign oneself to' means to accept something unpleasant; 'consign to' places someone/something in that situation, not oneself.