consist

(kən-sĭst')
intr.v., -sist·ed, -sist·ing, -sists.

1. To be made up or composed: New York City consists of five boroughs. See Usage Note at include.
2. To have a basis; reside or lie: The beauty of the artist's style consists in its simplicity.
3. To be compatible; accord: The information consists with her account.

[Latin cōnsistere, to stand still, to be composed of : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + sistere, to cause to stand.]

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is followed by of or in. Consist of means 'to have as its parts or elements' (in physical and abstract contexts):

Testing consists of checking that the students can carry out the task by the criteria detailed in the objectives—Teaching Clinical Nursing, 1986

Otherwise her wardrobe consisted only of three or four shabby black skirts and four or five shapeless black sweaters—Angela Carter, 1993

; see further at comprise. Consist in means 'to have as its essential features':

This defence consists in establishing...that the derogatory words—or at least their sting—were true—Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 1977.

The two meanings can easily overlap, as can the notion of a thing's constituents and its characteristics:

Kim's Game consists in enumerating as many as possible of a miscellaneous assemblage of objects briefly glimpsed shortly before—Michael Innes, 1972.

Previous:	considering, considerable, consider
Next:	console, consort, consortium

also consist of

verb

1. To have an inherent basis: dwell, exist, inhere, lie, repose, reside, rest. See start/end.
2. To be compatible or in correspondence: accord, agree, check, chime, comport with, conform, correspond, fit, harmonize, match, square, tally. Informal jibe. Archaic quadrate. See agree/disagree.

IN BRIEF: To be made of.

Goodness does not consist in greatness, but greatness in goodness. — Athenaeus.

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For a list of words related to consist, see:

• Parts, Practices, and Argot - consist: conductor’s report by which yardmaster at next stop plans switchings

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See words rhyming with "consist."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Consist.

Dansk (Danish)
v. intr. - bestå, stemme overens
n. - sortering

idioms:

• consist in    bestå i
• consist of    bestå af

Français (French)
v. intr. - se composer de, résider dans
n. - (Rail) matériel roulant

idioms:

• consist in    consister à
• consist of    se composer de, consister en

Deutsch (German)
v. - vereinbar sein, bestehen
n. - Zusammensetzung

idioms:

• consist in    bestehen in
• consist of    bestehen aus

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αποτελούμαι/απαρτίζομαι από, σύγκειμαι, συνιστώ (π.χ. αδίκημα)
n. - σιδηροδρομικό υλικό

idioms:

• consist in    έγκειμαι εις
• consist of    αποτελούμαι/απαρτίζομαι από, συνίσταμαι από

Italiano (Italian)
idioms:

• consist in    consistere in
• consist of    constare di, essere composto di, comporsi di

Português (Portuguese)
v. - consistir, condizer
n. - consistência (f)

idioms:

• consist in    consistir em
• consist of    compor-se

Русский (Russian)
состоять

idioms:

• consist in    состоять в
• consist of    состоять из

Español (Spanish)
v. intr. - radicarse, consistir en
n. - material rodante

idioms:

• consist in    consiste en
• consist of    constar de, estar compuesto de

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - bestå, stämma överens
n. - rullande materiel, vagnpark

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
组成, 构成, 一致, 符合, 在于, 存在于, 列车编组顺序表

idioms:

• consist in    在于, 存在
• consist of    由...组成

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. intr. - 組成, 構成, 一致, 符合, 在於, 存在於
n. - 列車編組順序表

idioms:

• consist in    在於, 存在
• consist of    由...組成

한국어 (Korean)
v. intr. - 이루어지다, 존재하다, 일치하다
n. - 차량

idioms:

• consist in    ~에 있다
• consist of    이루어지다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 成る, ある, 調和する

idioms:

• consist in    存在する
• consist of    から成る

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) احتوى أو اشتمل على, تألف أو تكون من (الاسم) عربات (القطارات)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. intr. - ‮היה מורכב מ-, עלה בקנה אחד עם‬
n. - ‮ציוד רכבות‬

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