proctor

American  

[prok-ter] / ˈprɒk tər /

noun

1. a person appointed to keep watch over students at examinations.

2. an official charged with various duties, especially with the maintenance of good order.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to supervise or monitor.

proctor British  

/ prɒkˈtɔːrɪəl, ˈprɒktə /

noun

1. a member of the teaching staff of any of certain universities having the duties of enforcing discipline

2. (in a college or university) a supervisor or monitor who invigilates examinations, enforces discipline, etc

3. (formerly) an agent, esp one engaged to conduct another's case in a court

4. (formerly) an agent employed to collect tithes

5. Church of England one of the elected representatives of the clergy in Convocation and the General Synod

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verb

1. (tr) to invigilate (an examination)

Other Word Forms

• proctorial adjective
• proctorially adverb
• proctorship noun
• subproctor noun
• subproctorial adjective
• subproctorship noun

Etymology

Origin of proctor

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; contracted variant of procurator

Explanation

A proctor keeps an eye on students who are taking a test to make sure they don't cheat. The invention of the cell phone has certainly made proctors' lives tougher. For college entrance exams, students are often supervised by a professional proctor, while in less official situations, like a pop quiz, the proctor is usually the teacher herself. Proctor is both a noun and a verb, so you might say that a proctor's job is to proctor, or make sure no test-takers' eyes are straying. The Latin root word is procuratorem, which means "manager."

Example Sentences

She applied and soon landed an interview, conducted by an unseen AI proctor with a male-sounding voice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

Tuesday — 15 minutes ahead of his 10 a.m. remote exam — Drelinger said the testing platform crashed when a proctor logged on.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025

The proctor administering an exam in his pre-calc class this spring leaned in and whispered, “What are you doing here?” as Beyer handed in his test.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2022

The next month, two hours before a General Chemistry II test, the university’s testing service told Mr. Ogletree in an email that the proctor would be checking his work area before the exam.

From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2022

The proctor shuts the door and takes his seat.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen