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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
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
That was fairly typical for the time because, Sturgeon noted, the age of consent in Arizona was 10.
—Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The age of consent in the Bahamas is 16, but the lawsuit says the girl was intoxicated and could not give consent.
—Jim Vertuno, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2024
States like California and Colorado have recently lowered the age of consent for treatment to 12.
—Michael Elsen-Rooney, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2024
The accusers included a woman who was 16, the British age of consent, during her relationship with Brand, who was in his early 30s.
—Matt Flegenheimer, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023
Under Florida law, the age of consent is 18, and those who are 16 and 17 are able to consent only to a partner younger than 24.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 20 Oct. 2023
In the past, a victim had only until 20 years past the age of consent, or up to age 38, to file civil lawsuits against offenders.
—Jean Marbella, Baltimore Sun, 1 Sep. 2023
The age of consent in Virginia is 18, prosecutors noted.
—Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2023
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
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 13 Jun. 2024.
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
More from Merriam-Webster on age of consent
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about age of consent
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