pro·con·sul
(ˌ)prō-ˈkän(t)-səl 
1
: a governor or military commander of an ancient Roman province
2
: an administrator in a modern colony, dependency, or occupied area usually with wide powers
1
a
: the office or position of a proconsul
b
: the term of office of a proconsul
2
: the district governed or administered by a proconsul
Examples of proconsul in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
There’s also the blinding of Elymas, in which Paul performs another miracle by temporarily blinding a sorcerer who tried to bar Paul from converting a Roman proconsul to Christianity.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 1 Oct. 2022
The Senate long forbade its proconsuls from commanding Rome’s legions outside of their respective jurisdictions—especially into Italy itself, where the Rubicon marked the legal and physical demarcation of senatorial power.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 4 July 2019
Roman proconsul Gnaeus Egnatius built it in the first century B.C. to link the Adriatic with the Aegean Sea and the Bosporus.
—National Geographic, 3 Apr. 2019
Chad Shelton’s energetic and vocally assured performance as the feckless Roman proconsul comes closest to breaking through Monastyrska’s august demeanor.
—Eric Skelly, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2018
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.
Noun
Trump gestured to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials when asked who would serve as his proconsuls in Venezuela.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
There’s also the blinding of Elymas, in which Paul performs another miracle by temporarily blinding a sorcerer who tried to bar Paul from converting a Roman proconsul to Christianity.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 1 Oct. 2022
The Senate long forbade its proconsuls from commanding Rome’s legions outside of their respective jurisdictions—especially into Italy itself, where the Rubicon marked the legal and physical demarcation of senatorial power.
—Matt Ford, The New Republic, 4 July 2019
Roman proconsul Gnaeus Egnatius built it in the first century B.C. to link the Adriatic with the Aegean Sea and the Bosporus.
—National Geographic, 3 Apr. 2019
Chad Shelton’s energetic and vocally assured performance as the feckless Roman proconsul comes closest to breaking through Monastyrska’s august demeanor.
—Eric Skelly, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2018
Cite this Entry
“Proconsul.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proconsul. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
proconsul
noun
pro·con·sul
(ˈ)prō-ˈkän(t)-səl
: an administrator in a modern colony, dependency, or occupied area
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
