counsel
noun
coun·sel
| \ ˈkau̇n(t)-səl
\
\
Definition of counsel
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: advice given especially as a result of consultation
He was unwise to reject my counsel.
b
: a policy or plan of action or behavior
2
: deliberation, consultation
b
: guarded thoughts or intentions
He was chary and given to keeping his own counsel.
4a plural counsel
(1)
: a lawyer engaged in the trial or management of a case in court
(2)
: a lawyer appointed to advise and represent in legal matters an individual client or a corporate and especially a public body
counsel
verb
coun·sel
| \ ˈkau̇n(t)-səl
\
\
counseled
or counselled;
counseling
or counselling\ ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)liŋ
\
\
Definition of counsel (Entry 2 of 2)
: advise
… counselled them to avoid rash actions …— George Orwell
: consult
counseled with her husband
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Synonyms for counsel
Synonyms: Noun
advocate, attorney, attorney-at-law, counselor (or counsellor), counselor-at-law, lawyer, legal eagle
Synonyms: Verb
advise, confab, confabulate, confer, consult, parley, powwow, treat
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Examples of counsel in a Sentence
Noun
We seek counsel from the rich and powerful to learn their secret … — Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Feb. 2004 God had done a poor job, and Soaphead suspected that he himself could have done better. It was in fact a pity that the Maker had not sought his counsel. — Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, (1970) 1994 No matter how much time he is given, counsel would always like more, but the Chief Justice will not grant an extra minute unless the lawyer is responding to a question from the bench. — Robert H. Bork, The Tempting Of America, 1990 Counsel were to be employed. … And when the matter had been decided by the lawyers, Lord Fawn was to express his regret for having suspected his lady-love! — Anthony Trollope, The Eustace Diamonds, 1871 You were unwise to reject my counsel. The student sought counsel from her teacher. She is serving as counsel for the defendant. All counsel are expected to obey the rules of the court.Verb
He balked at authority and, according to Mr. Green, tuned you out if you tried to counsel him. — David Grann, New Republic, 14 Feb. 2000 She had six children, whom she counseled and with great wisdom and patience. — Erma Bombeck, The Best of Bombeck, (1965) 1967 I had counselled Catherine to dine upstairs, but as soon as he perceived her vacant seat he sent me to call her. — Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, 1847 He counsels people who are trying to quit drinking. concerned parents counseling about the problem of substance abuse in their community
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The staff report of KREF's general counsel recommended the dismissal of the complaints involving the county and state party organizations, in addition to one complaint alleging that Reed failed to properly register a separate campaign committee. — Joe Sonka, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville Metro Council member fined for 2016 campaign finance violations," 4 Sep. 2019 Carolyn Harris, board member and general counsel of the Ramona Valley Winery Association (RVWA), said the heavy rains earlier in the year should bring in a robust, bountiful crop of wine grapes. — Julie Gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Vines & Wines: Rainy weather holds promise for robust harvest," 30 Aug. 2019 Locke Lord is one of the largest law firms in the country and includes a variety of counsel focused on public finance. — Hayat Norimine, Dallas News, "Dallas mayor secures new job as partner at major law firm Locke Lord," 26 Aug. 2019 Last week, the Texas Republican was one of the most aggressive questioners of the former special counsel at the House Judiciary hearing. — Author: Zeke Miller, Eric Tucker, Deb Riechmann, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump says Dan Coats is out as national intelligence director," 29 July 2019 Listening to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony on July 24, the nation heard a duel over the facts. — Lee Mcintyre, The Conversation, "The Mueller hearing and the death of facts," 25 July 2019 Under the special counsel, the counterintelligence investigation quickly shifted gears to a criminal investigation, but the original probe that Mueller inherited never went away. — Seth Hettena, The New Republic, "The FBI’s Trump-Russia Investigation Continues," 25 July 2019 Brian Smith has joined Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed P.A. as of counsel in the firm’s Orlando office. — Joe Rassel, orlandosentinel.com, "People on the move," 24 July 2019 Chabot sits on the House Judiciary Committee, which questioned special counsel Robert Mueller on his investigation into whether the Trump obstructed justice and colluded with Russia. — Scott Wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Chabot comes to Trump's defense in Mueller hearing. Calls his report a 'one-sided attack.'," 24 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Sherman wasn’t counseling him to not care, but to give his best and not stress about his uncertain future. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "Azeez Al-Shaair’s resiliency and ability leads to spot on 49ers’ roster," 1 Sep. 2019 The American Medical Association encourages doctors to screen and counsel patients on firearm safety, which can include temporarily transferring guns during a crisis. — Greg Miller, Science | AAAS, "Three suicide prevention strategies show real promise. How can they reach more people?," 22 Aug. 2019 She, in turn, counseled him to get help and to not end his life. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Cultural Fault Lines of I Love You, Now Die," 10 July 2019 On March 22, 2018, Chairman Barnes sent requests for sworn answers to interrogatories to counsel for Greitens, each of which sought disclosure of the various computing devices and electronic communications accounts under Greitens' control. — kansascity, "Read full report from Missouri House committee investigating Greitens allegations | The Kansas City Star," 11 Apr. 2018 Players are often counseled not to base their decision purely on who’s their head coach. — Stephen Means, cleveland.com, "Paris Johnson Jr.'s two recruitments to Ohio State and his growth as a 5-star prospect: Buckeyes recruiting," 15 Aug. 2019 One hundred volunteer therapists counseled 200 people in the first three weeks. — Karen Heller, Washington Post, "A club no one wants to join: How Pittsburgh is reaching out to comfort El Paso and Dayton," 8 Aug. 2019 In pursuit of a mythical middle ground, the faint-hearted will counsel against calling out the moral culpability of those who divide, deflect and evade. — E.j. Dionne Jr., The Mercury News, "Dionne: On guns and white nationalism, one side is right and one is wrong," 6 Aug. 2019 Many of the department’s 20 female firefighters counseled the trainees. — Vincent T. Davis, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio Fire Department hosts Hero Like Her Camp," 27 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'counsel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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