noun
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the business premises or residence of a consul
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government by consuls
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the office or period of office of a consul or consuls
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(often capital)
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the government of France by the three consuls from 1799 to 1804
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this period of French history
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(often capital)
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the consular government of the Roman republic
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the office or rank of a Roman consul
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Etymology
Origin of consulate
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin consulātus, equivalent to consul consul + -ātus -ate 3
Explanation
One of the buildings where diplomats work is called a consulate. Many countries have both an American embassy and an American consulate. A consul is a diplomat who works in a foreign country as her home country's representative. The consul's offices are located in the consulate. A traveler might visit his own country's consulate when he's traveling abroad and needs help of some kind — for example, if his passport has been stolen or he's gotten into legal trouble. The root of consulate is the Latin consul, "magistrate," from consulere, "to deliberate or counsel."
Vocabulary lists containing consulate
The Distance Between Us
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Parachutes
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Games of Deception
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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 US has announced a new policy that means most immigrants seeking a green card will have to leave the country and apply at an embassy or consulate abroad.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
The demonstrators turned their backs on the US consulate building and observed two minutes of silence to express their displeasure with the United States.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
On Thursday, both Landry and Howery will attend the opening of a new US consulate building, a modern high-rise block in the centre of Nuuk, nicknamed "Trump towers" by some locals.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
Jamshidi has family members, including his brother—who worked in a high-risk post as a security guard for the U.S. consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, for years—his sister-in-law, niece and nephew stuck in Camp As Sayliyah.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
He climbed past the first two floors, where Soviet clerks did normal consulate work, like helping Soviet citizens get travel visas.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
