counselor

American  

[koun-suh-ler] / ˈkaʊn sə lər /

especially British, counsellor

noun

• counselors
  plural

1. a person who counsels; adviser.

2. a faculty member who advises students on personal and academic problems, career choices, and the like.

3. an assistant at a children's camp, often a high school or college student, who supervises a group of children or directs a particular activity, as nature study or a sport.

4. a lawyer, especially a trial lawyer; counselor-at-law.

   Synonyms:

   advocate, counsel, barrister, solicitor, attorney

5. an official of an embassy or legation who ranks below an ambassador or minister.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counselorship
  noun
• precounsellor
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• counselors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of counselor

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English counseiler, counseillour, from Anglo-French cunseiler, cunseiliour, Old French conseilleor, conseillier; see origin at counsel, -eur, -er ², -or ²

Explanation

A counselor is the person you can consult in your time of need. Your school guidance counselor may suggest you take Spanish class next school year. Bueno? How you define counselor depends on where you are at the time. In court, a counselor is the lawyer who gives clients advice on legal issues and pleads their case in court. During a therapy session, a counselor helps people understand and resolve personal issues. And at summer camp, a counselor is the person who supervises the children's activities and makes sure they stay safe.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

counselor counselors

According to the Navy, aboard the Lincoln were one clinical psychologist, one clinical social worker and three behavioral health technicians as well as a counselor and five Navy chaplains.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He obtained a college degree, is employed as a drug counselor, and still finds time to give back to the people through his illustrations.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Speaking to their mentor or counselor could confirm that.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

“The online advertisements are very tempting,” said Rudri Patel, a certified financial-health counselor at MoneyLion.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

We were also told that classes would officially start the following day and that we should meet with our counselor to discuss our class schedule.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

Normally, when a death occurs inside a cellblock, facility executives dispatch clergy, rehabilitation coordinators, and mental health counselors to conduct psychological welfare checks.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

At Camp Lokanda in New York’s Catskill Mountains, professional canasta instructor Lisa Youngelson, also the camp’s activities director, taught the card game to the female counselors in training, a group of rising high-school seniors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Ebrahimian has pleaded with ICE to let Wilber go and submitted seven letters from teachers and counselors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

Beyond retail jobs, Revelio found that other common roles for teens this summer included lifeguards, camp counselors, childcare providers, and servers.

From Barron's ● May 25, 2026

Of those, the counselors say, 75 percent are looking for their mothers.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Related Words

• advocate
• instructor
• mentor
• teacher