consignment

American  

[kuhn-sahyn-muhnt] / kənˈsaɪn mənt /

noun

1. the act of consigning.

2. something that is consigned.

3. Commerce. property sent to an agent for sale, storage, or shipment.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or shipped as goods on consignment.

   consignment selling of gift items.

idioms

1. on consignment, (of goods) sent to an agent for sale, with title being held by the consignor until a sale is made.

consignment British  

/ kənˈsaɪnmənt /

noun

1. the act of consigning; commitment

2. a shipment of goods consigned

3. for payment by the consignee after sale

   he made the last shipment on consignment

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Other Word Forms

• nonconsignment noun

Etymology

Origin of consignment

First recorded in 1555–65; consign + -ment

Example Sentences

It began after the NCA received intelligence about a suspicious consignment of tyre inner tubes being shipped to Italy in March 2025.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Italian officials said there was no sign that the fuel used to power the tanker had leaked, but they were unable to comment on the fate of the gas consignment.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

The long consignment to the wilderness thwarts “preservation, access, education, creative reuse, scholarship, etc., when most of the works are out of circulation and not benefiting any rights holders.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2025

Aptly named, the Gold Mine, a second-hand consignment store that funds the community library, might turn up a YSL coat or a Moncler sweater for peanuts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

A carter had just finished loading a consignment of coconuts and was sitting by his cart, eating spicy chickpeas from a paper cone.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

Related Words

• batch
• delivery
• goods
• shipment