noun
proxy
PROK-see
noun
1
A person authorized to act or vote on behalf of someone else.
"She couldn't attend the meeting, so she sent a proxy to vote for her."
2
A measurement or indicator used to stand in for something else that is hard to measure directly.
"Scientists use tree rings as a proxy for past climate conditions."
3
A server or service that sits between a user and the internet, forwarding requests on their behalf.
"The company routes all traffic through a proxy for security reasons."
adj
1
Acting or serving as a substitute for something or someone else.
"The rebels fought what was widely seen as a proxy war between two larger powers."
How to Use Proxy
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA stand-in — a person, number, or system acting in place of another.
Common pairings
proxy vote
proxy war
proxy server
Word Forms
proxied past tense, proxies plural, proxies singular
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She couldn't attend the meeting, so she sent a _____ to vote for her.
Etymology
From Middle English procucie, a contraction of procuracie, ultimately from Latin procuratio, "management" — related to procure.