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
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
Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 17 May 2025
The court's three liberal justices dissented, arguing the policy should remain on hold.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
Advertisement Advertisement Only two of the court’s Justices—Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas—publicly noted their dissent.
—Nik Popli, Time, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, saying in part that the court didn't have the authority to weigh in at this stage.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 17 May 2025
The court's three liberal justices dissented, arguing the policy should remain on hold.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025
Noun
The University needs—and does, in fact, tolerate—a degree of internal dissent; dissenters make the educational enterprise seem, in that romantic retrospect, legitimate.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
Advertisement Advertisement Only two of the court’s Justices—Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas—publicly noted their dissent.
—Nik Popli, Time, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissent
Cite this Entry
“Dissent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissent. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share