# proxy

/ˈpɹɑksi/ (US) · /pɹˈɒksi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/proxy
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. a person acting for another

noun · CEFR B2 · Formal

a person who has the authority to represent or vote for someone else.

For teachers: an agent or substitute authorized to act on behalf of another person, particularly in voting or legal contexts.

- Since I couldn't attend the meeting, I asked my colleague to act as my proxy.
- The shareholder appointed a proxy to cast her votes during the annual general meeting, ensuring her interests were represented despite her absence.

Usage: Often used in the phrase 'by proxy'.

### 2. computing intermediary

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a server that sits between your computer and the internet to improve security or speed.

For teachers: a server or software application that acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers.

- The company uses a proxy to block dangerous websites and protect the office network.
- Configuring a transparent proxy allowed the IT department to cache frequently accessed content, significantly reducing external bandwidth consumption.

### 3. indirect measurement

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

something used to represent or measure a different value that is hard to find directly.

For teachers: a variable or measurement used as a substitute for another quantity with which it is correlated but which cannot be measured directly.

- Scientists use tree rings as a proxy for temperature changes in the distant past.
- In the absence of reliable census data, researchers used electricity consumption as a proxy for the economic growth of the region.

### 4. proximity mine

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

a type of explosive mine that goes off when someone gets close to it.

For teachers: a clipping of 'proximity mine', referring to an explosive device triggered by the presence of a nearby object.

- Watch out for that proxy hidden behind the door in the game.
- The player strategically placed a proxy near the objective to deter the enemy team from capturing it.

Teaching tip: This sense is specific to gaming communities and military contexts; it is not used in general business or academic English.

### 5. to act as a substitute

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to perform a task or handle a request on behalf of someone or something else.

For teachers: to serve as a proxy for a person or to function as an intermediary server for a client device.

- The system is designed to proxy all web traffic through a secure filter.
- The application was configured to proxy requests to the backend API, effectively hiding the internal server architecture from the public internet.

## Examples

- I cannot attend the meeting, so my colleague will act as my proxy.
- The board members who were absent sent their votes by proxy to ensure their voices were heard.
- In climate science, tree rings serve as a proxy for historical temperature data, allowing researchers to reconstruct weather patterns from centuries before the invention of the thermometer.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.