dissented; dissenting; dissents
1
: to withhold assent or approval
2
: to differ in opinion
Three of the justices dissented from the majority opinion.
: difference of opinion
heard voices of dissent at the meeting
: such as
a
: religious nonconformity
permitted no dissent from church teachings
b
law
: a justice's nonconcurrence with a decision of the majority
cited an earlier case in her dissent
called also dissenting opinion
c
: political opposition to a government or its policies
attempts to suppress domestic dissent
Synonyms
Examples of dissent in a Sentence
Verb
The Supreme Court, with two justices dissenting, ruled that the law was constitutional.
anyone who dissented was encouraged to speak out while they had the chance
Noun
Church leaders permitted no dissent from church teachings.
He did everything in his power to suppress political dissent.
These dissents come from prominent scientists and should not be ignored.
She argued in her dissent that Congress had exceeded its authority.
Recent Examples on the Web
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Nov. 2024
The second season of The Diplomat sees Kate investigating Grove’s death, and discovering much that was previously unknown about the MP—including his dissenting views on many issues with members of the ruling party.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2024
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
Most in Becker's comment section agree—modern beauty standards are a beast, and social media is feeding it, but some voices are growing more powerful in their dissent.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dissent 
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Verb
Meanwhile, Ninth Circuit Judge N. Randy Smith dissented in part.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Nov. 2024
The second season of The Diplomat sees Kate investigating Grove’s death, and discovering much that was previously unknown about the MP—including his dissenting views on many issues with members of the ruling party.
—Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
In his dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens sounded the alarm of the high court doubting the capacity of state judges to make the right calls on how to handle recounts.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
Most in Becker's comment section agree—modern beauty standards are a beast, and social media is feeding it, but some voices are growing more powerful in their dissent.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dissent
Articles Related to dissent
Dictionary Entries Near dissent
Cite this Entry
“Dissent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissent. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
dissent
1 of 2 intransitive verb
dis·sent
di-ˈsent 
1
: to withhold assent or approval
unfair squeezeout transactions—the kind to which public shareholders seem most likely to dissent—R. C. Clark
see also appraisal
R. C. ClarkNote: A shareholder who dissents from a proposed transaction may demand that the corporation buy his or her shares after an appraisal.
2
: to differ in opinion
dissenter
noun
dissent
2 of 2 noun1
: difference of opinion
especially
: a judge's disagreement with the decision of the majority
2
: dissenting opinion at opinion
3
: the judge or group of judges that dissent compare majority
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