| 1. | an agreement, approved by the court, pursuant to which the defendant ceases activities alleged by the government to be illegal and the government's action is dropped, esp. in antitrust and other regulatory matters. |
| 2. | an agreement made in court by the parties to settle a suit in equity. |
| consent decree n. A judicial decree expressing a voluntary agreement between parties to a suit, especially an agreement by a defendant to cease activities alleged by the government to be illegal in return for an end to the charges. |