proctor
Americannoun
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a person appointed to keep watch over students at examinations.
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an official charged with various duties, especially with the maintenance of good order.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a member of the teaching staff of any of certain universities having the duties of enforcing discipline
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(in a college or university) a supervisor or monitor who invigilates examinations, enforces discipline, etc
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(formerly) an agent, esp one engaged to conduct another's case in a court
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(formerly) an agent employed to collect tithes
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Church of England one of the elected representatives of the clergy in Convocation and the General Synod
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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proctorshipnoun
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subproctornoun
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subproctorshipnoun
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proctorialadjective
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subproctorialadjective
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proctoriallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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proctorsimple
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proctorssimple
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have proctoredperfect
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has proctoredperfect
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am proctoringprogressive
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are proctoringprogressive
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is proctoringprogressive
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have been proctoringperfect progressive
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has been proctoringperfect progressive
Past
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proctoredsimple
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had proctoredperfect
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was proctoringprogressive
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were proctoringprogressive
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had been proctoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of proctor
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; contracted variant of procurator
Explanation
A proctor keeps an eye on students who are taking a test to make sure they don't cheat. The invention of the cell phone has certainly made proctors' lives tougher. For college entrance exams, students are often supervised by a professional proctor, while in less official situations, like a pop quiz, the proctor is usually the teacher herself. Proctor is both a noun and a verb, so you might say that a proctor's job is to proctor, or make sure no test-takers' eyes are straying. The Latin root word is procuratorem, which means "manager."
Vocabulary lists containing proctor
This Week In Culture: September 14–20, 2019
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The Suffix -or, Part 2
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Tiger Boy
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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.
The quarantine now boarders El Cajon, Proctor Valley, Lemon Grove and McGinty Mountain— with a total of 76 square miles of San Diego County under quarantine.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
Outside the courtroom, Proctor said he planned to “pick up the pieces” of his life after a decade-plus legal saga.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
It served as an example of small-town America, with a population of 15,000 and shops with names like Loose Cow Mercantile, Weasel Creek Outfitters and Proctor Biggs Feed Mill.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny was eloquent as John Proctor, the opera’s flawed hero, cogently depicting his struggles with guilt.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
Perlstein had a fair complexion; his pal, Proctor, was similarly proportioned, seemingly more human, and dark-haired.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
