age of consent

noun phrase

: the age at which one is legally competent to give consent especially to marriage or to sexual intercourse

Examples of age of consent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even when both people involved are above the age of consent, even decades removed from age 18, the younger person is often infantilized and the older of the pair is deemed predatory. —Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 10 Jan. 2025

This was in Florida, the age of consent in Florida is 18. —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2025

The 37-page report concludes that Gaetz violated state laws in Florida, which include the statutory rape law for the state, which defines the age of consent as 18, CNN reported. —Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024

Maryland’s age of consent is 16, though with some exceptions. —Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1504, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

age of consent

noun

age of con·​sent -kən-ˈsent 

: the age at which one is legally competent to give consent especially to marriage or to sexual intercourse

Legal Definition

age of consent

: the age at which a person is deemed competent by law to give consent especially to sexual intercourse or marriage see also statutory rape compare emancipation, legal age