English Reference
noun

consecutive

n.
US /kənˈsɛkjətɪv/ UK /kənsˈɛkjuːtˌɪv/ con·sec·u·tive UK spelling consecutives

  1. 01 C1 Advanced Technical

    a type of translation where the speaker talks first and then the interpreter translates what was said.

    a mode of oral translation in which the interpreter begins speaking only after the original speaker has finished a segment of discourse.

    Simple

    The witness gave his statement in short parts so the consecutive interpreter could translate accurately.

    In context

    During the legal proceedings, the court relied on consecutive interpretation to ensure that every nuance of the testimony was captured for the record.

    Teacher's tip

    In professional settings, this is often shortened to just 'consecutive' when contrasting it with 'simultaneous'.

  2. 02 C2 Proficiency Technical Music

    a series of musical notes or chords that move up or down by the same amount each time.

    a sequence of notes or chords resulting from repeated shifts in pitch of the same interval.

    Simple

    The composer used a series of consecutives to create a sense of rising tension.

    In context

    The theory professor warned the students against using consecutive fifths, as they were traditionally forbidden in classical part-writing.

    parallelism
  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    a word or grammar form that shows one action happens right after another.

    a linguistic form or construction that implies or describes an event following temporally from a preceding one.

    Simple

    In some languages, a specific verb form acts as a consecutive to show the next step in a story.

    In context

    The researcher analysed the use of the consecutive in ancient Semitic texts to understand how narrative flow was established without modern punctuation.

Usage consecutive days · consecutive month · consecutive season

For many places it will mark a third consecutive day above official heatwave thresholds .

BBC News· 14 Aug 2026

Wednesday became the first day in August to reach 35C or more, making it the 4th consecutive month to reach this temperature.

BBC News· 13 Aug 2026

From French consécutif, from Medieval Latin cōnsecūtīvus, from Latin cōnsecūtus (“followed up”), from Latin cōnsequor (“to travel”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin cōnsequor
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Common
Updated