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
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the denial.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025
Robin Kundis Craig, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025
Justice Samuel Alito led four conservative justices in dissent, saying Ali lacks the authority to order the payments.
—Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissent
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Verb
What To Know Barrett dissented in part to the court majority opinion, and she was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the denial.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
There’s an important angle that neither the majority opinion nor the dissent addressed.
—Robin Kundis Craig, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025
Justice Samuel Alito led four conservative justices in dissent, saying Ali lacks the authority to order the payments.
—Mark Sherman, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dissent
Articles Related to dissent
Cite this Entry
“Dissent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissent. Accessed 12 Mar. 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
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