COUNSEL (counselled, counselling)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: counselled    , counselling   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does counsel mean? 

• COUNSEL (noun)
  The noun COUNSEL has 2 senses:

1. a lawyer who pleads cases in court

2. something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action

  Familiarity information: COUNSEL used as a noun is rare.

• COUNSEL (verb)
  The verb COUNSEL has 1 sense:

1. give advice to

  Familiarity information: COUNSEL used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COUNSEL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A lawyer who pleads cases in court

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

advocate; counsel; counsellor; counselor; counselor-at-law; pleader

Hypernyms ("counsel" is a kind of...):

attorney; lawyer (a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Derivation:

counsel (give advice to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

counsel; counseling; counselling; direction; guidance

Hypernyms ("counsel" is a kind of...):

content; message; subject matter; substance (what a communication that is about something is about)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "counsel"):

guideline; road map (a detailed plan or explanation to guide you in setting standards or determining a course of action)

career counseling (counseling on career opportunities)

cynosure (something that provides guidance (as Polaris guides mariners))

genetic counseling (guidance for prospective parents on the likelihood of genetic disorders in their future children)

marriage counseling (counseling on marital problems and disagreements)

confidential information; hint; lead; steer; tip; wind (an indication of potential opportunity)

Derivation:

counsel (give advice to)

• COUNSEL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they counsel    ... he / she / it counsels   
Past simple: counseled    / counselled   
Past participle: counseled    / counselled   
-ing form: counseling    / counselling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give advice to

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

advise; counsel; rede

Context example:

The lawyer counselled me when I was accused of tax fraud

Hypernyms (to "counsel" is one way to...):

discuss; hash out; talk over (speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "counsel"):

exhort; press; urge; urge on (force or impel in an indicated direction)

deter; dissuade (turn away from by persuasion)

admonish; discourage; monish; warn (advise or counsel in terms of someone's behavior)

tip; tip off (give insider information or advise to)

misadvise; misguide (give bad advice to)

propound (put forward, as of an idea)

consult (advise professionally)

contraindicate (make a treatment inadvisable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sentence examples:

Sam cannot counsel Sue
They counsel him to write the letter

Derivation:

counsel (something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action)

counsel (a lawyer who pleads cases in court)

counseling; counselling (something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action)

counsellor; counselor (someone who gives advice about problems)

 Context examples 

Examples: surgical reconstruction, less mutilating surgery, psychological counseling.

(Breast Cancer, Treatment and Rehabilitation, NCI Thesaurus)

This may include exercise training, education on heart healthy living, and/or counseling to reduce stress.

(Cardiac Rehabilitation, NCI Thesaurus/ACC)

The information should be useful in connection with counseling and screening.

(Breast Cancer, 11;22 Translocation Associated Protein, NCI Thesaurus)

Grief counseling or grief therapy is also helpful to some people.

(Bereavement, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

Medicines, counseling, and support groups may help you to stop drinking.

(Alcoholism, NIH: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)

A team of specialists will create a plan for you that includes exercise training, education on heart healthy living, and counseling.

(Cardiac Rehabilitation, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

An individual who presents for genetic counseling.

(Counselee, NCI Dictionary)

Treatment involves monitoring, talk therapy, nutritional counseling, and sometimes medicines.

(Eating Disorders, NIH: National Institute of Mental Health)

A nurse practitioner that meets the health care needs of the family by providing health assessments, direct care, and guidance, teaching, or counseling as appropriate, particularly around family self-care.

(Family Practice Nurse Practitioner, NCI Thesaurus)

In cancer treatment, the goal of dietary counseling is to help patients stay healthy during and after treatment and to stay strong enough to fight infections and the recurrence of disease.

(Dietary counseling, NCI Dictionary)