counselor

noun

coun·​sel·​or ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər How to pronounce counselor (audio)
variants or counsellor
Synonyms of counselornext
1
: a person who gives advice or counseling
a marriage counselor
2
: lawyer
specifically : one that gives advice in law and manages cases for clients in court
The defendant conferred with his counselor.
3
: one who has supervisory duties at a summer camp
The counselor led the campers on a hike through the woods.
counselorship
ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər-ˌship How to pronounce counselor (audio)
noun

Synonyms of counselor

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of counselor in a Sentence

He works as a camp counselor. a young couple going to a marriage counselor
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But after the pandemic, the park got busier and busier, said Cobb, a Hollywood High School counselor. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 For Norely Sanders, in her early 30s, that means annual breast exams, appointments with her genetic counselor and mammograms. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 So, Rios did it all on her own, with help from her high school counselor. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 27 Oct. 2026 To be safe, double check with your doctor's office or a SHIP counselor, broker, or other Medicare assistor. — Emily Pisacreta, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for counselor

Word History

Etymology

see counsel entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of counselor was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing counselor

Rhymes for counselor

See All Rhymes for counselor

Browse Nearby Words

counsel of perfection
counselor
counselor-at-law
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Counselor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counselor. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

counselor

noun
coun·​sel·​or
variants or counsellor
ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər How to pronounce counselor (audio)
1
: a person who gives advice
guidance counselor
2
: lawyer
3
: a supervisor of campers or activities at a summer camp

Medical Definition

counselor

noun
coun·​sel·​or
variants or counsellor
ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər How to pronounce counselor (audio)
: a person engaged in counseling

Legal Definition

counselor

noun
coun·​se·​lor
ˈkau̇n-sə-lər
: counsel
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of reticent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All