proxy
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who has the authority to represent or vote for someone else.
n.an agent or substitute authorized to act on behalf of another person, particularly in voting or legal contexts.
Simple“Since I couldn't attend the meeting, I asked my colleague to act as my proxy.”
In context“The shareholder appointed a proxy to cast her votes during the annual general meeting, ensuring her interests were represented despite her absence.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'by proxy'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
n.a server that sits between your computer and the internet to improve security or speed.
n.a server or software application that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers.
Simple“The company uses a proxy to block dangerous websites and protect the office network.”
In context“Configuring a transparent proxy allowed the IT department to cache frequently accessed content, significantly reducing external bandwidth consumption.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.something used to represent or measure a different value that is hard to find directly.
n.a variable or measurement used as a substitute for another quantity with which it is correlated but which cannot be measured directly.
Simple“Scientists use tree rings as a proxy for temperature changes in the distant past.”
In context“In the absence of reliable census data, researchers used electricity consumption as a proxy for the economic growth of the region.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a type of explosive mine that goes off when someone gets close to it.
n.a clipping of 'proximity mine', referring to an explosive device triggered by the presence of a nearby object.
Simple“Watch out for that proxy hidden behind the door in the game.”
In context“The player strategically placed a proxy near the objective to deter the enemy team from capturing it.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is specific to gaming communities and military contexts; it is not used in general business or academic English.
- 05 C1 Advanced
v.to perform a task or handle a request on behalf of someone or something else.
v.to serve as a proxy for a person or to function as an intermediary server for a client device.
Simple“The system is designed to proxy all web traffic through a secure filter.”
In context“The application was configured to proxy requests to the backend API, effectively hiding the internal server architecture from the public internet.”
“The team used searches for physics concepts as a proxy for learning-related information-seeking.”
“Attacks by Iran and its proxies, often using aerial drones, have created widespread, lasting damage to Middle East energy infrastructure.”
Inherited from Middle English procucie, contraction of procuracie, from Anglo-Norman procuracie, from Medieval Latin procuratia, from Latin prōcūrātiō, from Latin prōcūrō (“I manage, administer”) (English procure). Compare proctor.
proximity + -y.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.