counselor
Americannoun
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a faculty member who advises students on personal and academic problems, career choices, and the like.
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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.
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a lawyer, especially a trial lawyer; counselor-at-law.
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an official of an embassy or legation who ranks below an ambassador or minister.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing counselor
Tears of a Tiger
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Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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Home of the Brave
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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.
He served as an economic policy adviser to State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar and was a political prisoner there, 2021-22.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025
Resnick turned to the Counselor of the State Department and said, “We need to be able to move the rest of the” financing so that Israel could pay off bills for past weapons purchases.
From Salon • Sep. 24, 2024
"Counselor, can we lump this all together against using the same principles?" the judge asked.
From Salon • Oct. 4, 2023
Youth charged with crimes are assigned a Juvenile Probation Counselor as soon as the legal process begins.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2023
“Not this time, Counselor Chu. However, I do feel the wish to commune with the moon tonight.”
From "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
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.
