Meaning & use
console
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To offer comfort and kind words to someone who is sad, disappointed or grieving.
Grammar: Takes an object: she consoled her friend.
Patterns
- console someone
- console someone with something
- console yourself with something
She put her arm around him to console him after the loss.
Neighbors came to console the family.
I consoled myself with a long walk after the bad news.
nouncountablecomputing
A device on which video games are played, usually connected to a television.
Grammar: Stress is on the first syllable: a game console.
Patterns
- a game console
He saved up to buy the new console.
The console connects to the TV with one cable.
Her brother left the console running all night.
nouncountabletechnical
A panel or unit that holds the switches, dials and screens used to control a machine or system.
Grammar: Stress is on the first syllable; used for equipment: a mixing console.
Patterns
- the console of something
The engineer adjusted the sliders on the mixing console.
A small console between the front seats holds the cup holders.
The pilot checked every light on the control console.
Word forms
| third person singular | consoles |
|---|---|
| past tense | consoled |
| past participle | consoled |
| -ing form | consoling |
Common combinations
- console a grieving friend
- He tried to console a grieving friend.
- console yourself with
- She consoled herself with the thought that she had tried her best.
- hard to console
- The child was hard to console after the fall.
- video game console
- The video game console was a birthday gift.
- control console
- A technician sat at the control console.
- center console
- Keep the charger in the center console.
Synonyms and how they differ
- comfort
- Comfort is a wider word for easing any distress, while console is used mostly for sadness or a loss.
- soothe
- Soothe suggests calming strong emotion or pain, rather than offering sympathy for a loss.
- cheer up
- Cheer up is informal and aims to make someone happier, not just ease grief.
- sympathize with
- Sympathize with only expresses understanding and does not necessarily involve actively comforting.
Opposites
Word family
- consolation noun
- Comfort given after a loss.
- consoling adjective
- Giving comfort.
- inconsolable adjective
- So sad that nobody can comfort you.
- consolable adjective
- Able to be comforted.
Commonly confused: console or condole? console or counsel?
console vs condole
Condole means to express sympathy for a death, typically with 'with', and is more formal.
console vs counsel
Counsel means to give advice, not just comfort.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'console' as a verb?
Choose one answer.
Only the second sentence uses console as a verb meaning to comfort; the rest use the noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “console”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.