counselor

noun

coun·​sel·​or ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər How to pronounce counselor (audio)
variants or counsellor
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 noun

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.
Over the past two months, Texans have used green ribbons with bows to commemorate the lives lost in the July 4 Hill Country flooding, which killed more than 100 people, including more than two dozen girls and counselors from Camp Mystic in Hunt. Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025 White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro speaks to reporters outside of the West Wing of the White House on August 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 This yuckster attitude was apparently contagious, because Gray herself got in on the act on a day in which she was scheduled to kiss the young hunk Christopher Atkins, who had a recurring role for one season as a camp counselor. Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025 It’s been two months since an entire summer’s worth of rain fell on July 4, triggering the flash floods that rushed through Texas Hill Country and converged around Camp Mystic, killing at least 26 campers and counselors in Kerr County. Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025 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

Cite this Entry

“Counselor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counselor. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

counselor

noun
coun·​sel·​or
variants or counsellor
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
: a person engaged in counseling

Legal Definition

counselor

noun
coun·​se·​lor
ˈkau̇n-sə-lər

More from Merriam-Webster on counselor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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