Definition, synonyms and related words
plural of consequence
"After finishing our rounds at the garden party, we played consequences to see how many wild misunderstandings we could create with our secret stories."
An old-fashioned parlour game describing the meeting of a lady and gentleman and the ensuing events, each player in turn writing a part of the story, not knowing what the others have written.
In plain English: Consequences are the results that happen because of something you did.
"She realized that breaking the rules would have serious consequences for her job."
Usage: In everyday usage, consequences refers to the results or effects of an action, rather than the old-fashioned parlor game involving collaborative storytelling. Use this noun to describe the outcomes that follow a specific event, whether those results are positive, negative, or neutral.
Derived from Latin consequens, the present participle of consequi meaning "to follow after," the term originally described events that naturally succeed one another in time or logic. It entered English via Old French, retaining its sense of results flowing directly from a cause.