plural proctors
: someone who supervises or monitors students:
a
US
: someone who oversees student examinations
The primary job of the proctor is to monitor students to ensure they're following testing room rules and not sharing answers.—
Arika Harron
Arika HarronIf a test proctor isn't following protocol, or test-takers haven't been given the correct amount of time, results can be skewed.—Alizah Salario
Alizah Salario
b
British
: an officer at a university who is responsible especially for disciplinary measures
At night proctors patrolled the street and dogged your steps if you tried to go into any haunt where the presence of vice was suspected.—Samuel Butler
Samuel Butler
proctor
verb, transitive + intransitive
proctored; proctoring; proctors
proctor an exam
Some of the teachers volunteered to proctor.
see also proctorial, proctorship
Examples of proctor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Recorded books were a lifesaver for him, along with tutors, test proctors, note takers and untimed testing.
—Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025
Singer pleaded guilty in 2019 in connection with the scheme and admitted to bribing SAT and ACT proctors, and adding fake awards, extracurriculars, and essays to students' college applications.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 16 July 2025
After check-in, students are seated, and the proctor reads preliminary instructions.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 20 June 2025
At the time of the test, Reuters reported people experiencing internet outages in official examination rooms and proctor disruptions.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for proctor
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 22 July 2025
Singer pleaded guilty in 2019 in connection with the scheme and admitted to bribing SAT and ACT proctors, and adding fake awards, extracurriculars, and essays to students' college applications.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 16 July 2025
After check-in, students are seated, and the proctor reads preliminary instructions.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American Statesman, 20 June 2025
At the time of the test, Reuters reported people experiencing internet outages in official examination rooms and proctor disruptions.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for proctor
Cite this Entry
“Proctor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proctor. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
proctor
noun
proc·tor
ˈpräk-tər 
: a person who supervises students during an examination
proctor
verb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share