consul
Americannoun
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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
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.
Yaki Dayan, Israel's former consul general in Los Angeles and an expert on US-Israeli relations, said that Israel's GDP has more than doubled since the current aid agreement was signed in 2016.
From Barron's • May 16, 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 Marble Faun” was published in 1860, a year before Confederate guns fired on Fort Sumter, and seven years after the author’s college friend, President Franklin Pierce, appointed him U.S. consul in Liverpool, England.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
According to the consul, Mexico is currently the sixth most visited country in the world and the vast majority of tourists who visit the country have no major complaints.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
The witch consul lived in a green-painted wooden house within sight of the sea, and when they rang the bell it jangled loudly in the quiet street.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
