counselor

noun

coun·​sel·​or ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər 

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

ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms of counselor

• adviser
• consultant

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

Suzie juggles counselors, nurses, social workers, community agencies, and teachers--retelling her story again and again just to solve one problem. —Arkansas Online, 2 Feb. 2026

Hair stylist Jonathan Van Ness, counselor Karamo Brown, chef Antoni Porowski, interior designer Bobby Berk (through season 8; Jeremiah Brent takes over in season 9), and fashion expert Tan France are the fairy godparents dreams are made of. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Feb. 2026

In addition to classroom teachers, UTLA represents teachers working outside the classroom, counselors, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, librarian and nurses. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026

But the person who should be talking to a counselor is not her. —Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see counsel entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing counselor

• counselor-at-law
• guidance counselor

Rhymes for counselor

• councillor
• councilor
• counsellor

Kids Definition

counselor

noun

coun·​sel·​or

variants or counsellor

ˈkau̇n(t)-s(ə-)lər 

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 

: a person engaged in counseling

Legal Definition

counselor

noun

coun·​se·​lor

ˈkau̇n-sə-lər

: counsel