consign
verb
con·sign kən-ˈsīn 
consigned; consigning; consigns
transitive verb
1
: to give over to another's care
… consign her single daughters to the care of their sister …
Jane Austen
Jane Austen2
: to give, transfer, or deliver into the hands or control of another
also : to commit especially to a final destination or fate
a writer consigned to oblivion
consign a body to the grave
3
: to send or address to an agent to be cared for or sold
consigned the paintings for sale
intransitive verb
obsolete : agree, submit
consignable
kən-ˈsī-nə-bəl
adjective consignation
ˌkän-ˌsī-ˈnā-shən
noun ˌkän(t)-sig-
consignor
ˌkän-ˌsī-ˈnȯr
noun kən-
Synonyms
- dispatch
- pack (off)
- send
- ship
- shoot
- transfer
- transmit
- transport
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
She consigned the painting to an auction house. The goods were consigned to him.
Recent Examples on the Web Esola’s Elmer gazes delightedly at the prospect of a liberated future while holding fast to the fate that will consign him to an early grave as one of the first notable casualties of the Civil War. Charles Mcnulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 Instead, his tawdry decline now threatens to consign the Borbóns to the trash heap of history—along with the Romanovs, the Habsburgs, and other defunct dynasties. Joshua Hammer, Town & Country, 21 Aug. 2022 Witold Pilecki was never able to consign the past to the past in the same way. Andrew Stuttaford, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 In a world that seeks to consign to the shadows those who don’t conform, Osunde’s vagabonds act as an illuminating force for one another. The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 The quickly evolving situation is sparking yet another controversy over whether the desperation to consign the virus to history is being driven by science or politics. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 8 Feb. 2022 Never are we allowed to forget that the founders were self-interested fathers, heedless of women as thinking citizens and ready to consign people of color to history’s ashbin. Bob Verini, Variety, 6 June 2022 Save your fingers by saving the scrap for broth or consign it to the compost. Washington Post, 2 May 2022 As played by the generally insufferable Jared Leto, who again emerges as eminently slappable, Michael Morbius is a crippled super-scientist lamed by a DNA defect that will consign him to an early grave. Kyle Smith, National Review, 1 Apr. 2022 See More
Charles Mcnulty, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2022 Instead, his tawdry decline now threatens to consign the Borbóns to the trash heap of history—along with the Romanovs, the Habsburgs, and other defunct dynasties. Joshua Hammer, Town & Country, 21 Aug. 2022 Witold Pilecki was never able to consign the past to the past in the same way. Andrew Stuttaford, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 In a world that seeks to consign to the shadows those who don’t conform, Osunde’s vagabonds act as an illuminating force for one another. The New Yorker, 9 May 2022 The quickly evolving situation is sparking yet another controversy over whether the desperation to consign the virus to history is being driven by science or politics. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 8 Feb. 2022 Never are we allowed to forget that the founders were self-interested fathers, heedless of women as thinking citizens and ready to consign people of color to history’s ashbin. Bob Verini, Variety, 6 June 2022 Save your fingers by saving the scrap for broth or consign it to the compost. Washington Post, 2 May 2022 As played by the generally insufferable Jared Leto, who again emerges as eminently slappable, Michael Morbius is a crippled super-scientist lamed by a DNA defect that will consign him to an early grave. Kyle Smith, National Review, 1 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle French consigner, from Latin consignare, from com- + signum sign, mark, seal — more at sign
First Known Use
1528, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
consign
verb
con·sign kən-ˈsīn
consigned; consigning
1
: to send (as goods) to an agent to be sold or cared for
2
: to put (something) in a place to store it or get rid of it
She consigned her old toys to the attic.
Legal Definition
consign
transitive verb
con·sign kən-ˈsīn
: to entrust (one's goods) to the possession of a dealer to be sold for profit or returned if unsold compare bail, entrust
consigned
verb
1
as in sent
to cause to go or be taken from one place to another consigned the prisoner to the dungeon Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- sent
- transported
- shipped
- dispatched
- transferred
- transmitted
- delivered
- conveyed
- rendered
- returned
- addressed
- presented
- passed
- donated
- imported
- shot
- forwarded
- exported
- contributed
- packed (off)
- dropped
- launched
- gave
- bestowed
- advanced
- handed over
- resent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- accepted
- received
- obtained
- acquired
- secured
- earned
- procured
- got
- gained
- drew
- garnered
2
as in handed
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another the deliveryman had consigned our package to a next-door neighbor Synonyms & Similar Words
- handed
- left
- transferred
- delivered
- delegated
- relinquished
- gave
- entrusted
- passed
- committed
- transmitted
- confided
- recommended
- reposed
- loaned
- commended
- vested
- assigned
- bequeathed
- trusted
- granted
- submitted
- turned over
- intrusted
- handed over
- dispensed
- divided
- distributed
- conferred
- furnished
- lent
- supplied
- dispersed
- surrendered
- willed
- gave over
- released
- turned in
- handed in
- yielded
- handed down
- redelivered
- advanced
- recommitted
- handed on
- dealt (out)
- retransferred
- retransmitted
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- held
- kept
- retained
- reserved
- owned
- received
- possessed
- withheld
- accepted
- occupied
- detained
- took
- held back
- took in
- took over