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Proxies and Proxy Servers
Proxy comes from a contracted form of the Middle English word procuracie (meaning “procuration”). A proxy may refer to a person who is authorized to act for another or it may designate the function or authority of serving in another’s stead. In the latter sense, it generally is preceded by the word by (“vote by proxy”).
Proxy has recently taken on meanings in computing, where it is found in such phrases as proxy server, a computer system that facilitates the exchange of data between users on a network.
Synonyms
Examples of proxy in a Sentence
Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Israel is a critical ally in the region and has legitimate threats to its security from Iran and its terrorist proxies throughout the region, as Oct. 7 demonstrated all too clearly.
—Mike Quigley, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
So as their party struggles to settle on a message against Trump, Democrats have turned to Musk as an easier — and far more politically vulnerable — proxy.
—Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025
To reveal whether rat populations are actually increasing, a team of researchers turned to public complaints and inspection information — valuable proxies for the population of rodents in a particular area.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for proxy 
Dictionary Entries Near proxy
Cite this Entry
“Proxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proxy. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
proxy
nounLegal Definition
proxy
nounMiddle English procucie, contraction of procuracie, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin procuratia, alteration of Latin procuratio appointment of another as one's agent
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