English Reference
noun

registrar

n.
US /ˈɹɛdʒɪˌstɹɑɹ/ UK /ɹˈɛdʒɪstɹˌɑː/ reg·is·trar UK spelling registrars

  1. 01 C1 Advanced Formal Law

    an official whose job is to keep and manage important public or legal records.

    an official responsible for maintaining and managing public or legal records, such as births, marriages, or land ownership.

    Simple

    The local registrar issued a marriage certificate after the ceremony.

    In context

    The registrar of deeds confirmed that the property title had been legally transferred to the new owners during the closing process.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Formal

    the person at a college or university who manages student records and class lists.

    the senior administrative officer in a university or college responsible for student records, enrollment, and academic scheduling.

    Simple

    You need to contact the registrar if you want to change your major.

    In context

    The university registrar announced that all students must finalize their course selections before the end of the second week of the semester.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced British English Medicine

    a doctor who is training to become a specialist and works under a senior doctor.

    a middle-ranking hospital doctor undergoing specialist training to become a consultant.

    Simple

    The surgical registrar checked on the patient before the operation began.

    In context

    After completing four years as a registrar, she finally applied for a consultant position in the cardiology department.

  4. 04 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a company that manages the registration of website names.

    an organization or commercial entity that manages the reservation of internet domain names.

    Simple

    I bought my website address through a popular online registrar.

    In context

    The company decided to move their web assets to a different registrar to take advantage of better security features and lower renewal fees.

Photograph: Supplied by the Ticehurst family Billings had been released on bail by a local court registrar a fortnight before the murder.

The Guardian· 4 Sept 2026

He had been charged with several counts of raping Molly and a string of domestic violence offences, but was freed on bail by a local court registrar a fortnight before the murder.

The Guardian· 3 Sept 2026

From Medieval Latin registrārius, from registrum (“register”) + -ārius (“agent”). See more at register.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin la-med -
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated