consul
Americannoun
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consuls
plural
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an official appointed by the government of one country to look after its commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country.
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either of the two chief magistrates of the ancient Roman republic.
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French History. one of the three supreme magistrates of the First Republic during the period 1799–1804.
noun
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an official appointed by a sovereign state to protect its commercial interests and aid its citizens in a foreign city
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(in ancient Rome) either of two annually elected magistrates who jointly exercised the highest authority in the republic
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(in France from 1799 to 1804) any of the three chief magistrates of the First Republic
Commonly Confused
See council.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of consul
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin; a derivative of consulere “to take counsel, consult”; see origin at consult
Explanation
A consul is a diplomat appointed to live in a foreign country, to protect both her country's interests and citizens living abroad. If you're an American living in Poland, take your troubles to the American consul. In ancient Rome, there were two consuls elected every year to be in charge of the whole city. Like many words, this one developed new meanings and spellings. One of those is council, like your city council, who make up part of city government. The other is consul in the modern sense: the person from one country who is appointed to represent his country to a foreign government.
Vocabulary lists containing consul
Before We Were Free
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The Roman Republic, Lessons 1–2
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Chapter 11: Rome: Republic to Empire
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In her statement condemning Simon's death, Okey-Uche, Nigeria's consul general in Johannesburg, called for a "transparent" investigation and alleged that there was "an alarming pattern of unresolved extrajudicial killings/deaths and unacceptable misconduct against foreign nationals".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The honorary consul of Poland in Northern Ireland, Jerome Mullen, said he had never experienced such a tragedy in his 18 years in the job.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The World Cup was the lightning rod, said Carlos González Gutiérrez, the Mexican consul general in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
The museum contacted Ankara because the piece "had been donated by the wife of a US consul general who served in Istanbul in the 1940s", she said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
The consul turned to Farder Coram and said: “Do you realize who this child is?”
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
One day after Levine's beating, settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats including the French and Belgian consuls general in Jerusalem as they went through the town of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
The republic’s consuls and other officers became Augustus’ lapdogs, but he preserved their venerable offices and titles “with anxious care,” seeming to consult them and massaging their vanity.
From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2025
Thursday’s summit was attended by consuls and other senior officials from G-7 nations and the European Union, and lawmakers and representatives from economic organizations, labor unions and other organizations.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
Once consuls are in place, the memo said, they would remain accountable to the governments they represent.
From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2022
Despite the emergency, two foreign consuls were playing tennis on the grass courts out back.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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