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
- consular adjective
- consulship noun
- subconsul noun
- subconsulship noun
Etymology
Origin of consul
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin; a derivative of consulere “to take counsel, consult”; consult
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 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
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
A follow-up message from the consul included photos of oil spurting into the sky.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
Similarly, Werner Gruner, South Africa's consul to the Bahamas, says that over the past two or three years, his office has seen a rise in local people travelling to South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.
From BBC • Aug. 17, 2025
Coram had arrived that day from the north, with a letter of introduction from an acquaintance of Professor Hallgrimsson’s, the consul of the witches at the town of Trollesund.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" 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.
