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 Most of the largest dating apps, including Grindr, Tinder, Hinge and OK Cupid, require users to be at least 18, though the age of consent in Michigan is 16. Jo Yurcaba, NBC News, 9 Oct. 2024 That’s especially true in rural areas where Orthodox Christianity defines the social order, girls are often married before the age of consent, and many hospitals don’t even stock the contraception pills they’re legally obligated to provide. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024 Théo is past the age of consent, but the relationship is incestuous, legally speaking, thanks to a change in the French penal code in 2021. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024 Last year, the country raised the age of consent from 13 to 16, and in 2017 men were allowed to report allegations of rape. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 9 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for age of consent 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'age of consent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1504, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of age of consent was in 1504

Dictionary Entries Near age of consent

Cite this Entry

“Age of consent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/age%20of%20consent. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

age of consent

noun
age of con·​sent -kən-ˈsent How to pronounce age of consent (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on age of consent

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