The Meaning of Proxy: What It Is and How To Use It

What is the meaning of proxy? This article will cover the meaning of the word proxy as well as different ways to use it.

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Have you ever heard someone use the word proxy and wondered what it meant? This article has got you covered! 

Today, we’re teaching you about the word proxy, showing you how to use it in a sentence, and listing translations, synonyms, and antonyms of proxy to provide even more useful fun facts. 

What Does Proxy Mean?

According to Dictionary, the word proxy is a noun that refers to something that stands in for something else. Therefore, a proxy can be someone who acts on behalf of someone else. The word proxy can also refer to a written agreement authorizing someone to act or vote on their behalf.

The pronunciation of proxy is ˈprɒksi. The word proxy might also be seen as its plural proxies.

How Can Proxy Be Used in a Sentence?

Study these example sentences containing examples of proxy to get a sense of how to use this new word. Then, try using proxy as your word of the day in a sentence today!

Example #1: A Proxy Server

The proxy server is responsible for the caching of the trending apps.

Question: What or who is the proxy in the above sentence?

Answer: The server.

Example #2: A Proxy Vote

Since we could not be in town for the stockholders’ meeting, we authorized another member to participate in the proxy voting on our behalf.

Question: What or who is the proxy in the above sentence?

Answer: Another member.

Example #3: Decisions by Proxy

My grandmother signed over written authorization for the power of attorney when she started showing signs of dementia so that I could make financial decisions as a proxy.

Question: What or who is the proxy in the above sentence?

Answer: The speaker.

Example #4:

When I got the stomach flu the night before the award ceremony, my best friend acted as my proxy and went to the ceremony to accept the award on my behalf.

Question: What or who is the proxy in the above sentence?

Answer: The speaker’s best friend.

What is the Etymology of Proxy?

Dictionary states that the word proxy has been around since the early 1400s. This word was originally written as the late Middle English prokesye and procusie, which is a contraction of procuracy. These come from the Latin prōcūrātiō and Medieval Latin procuratia, which is the word origin of other words like procure.

When you look at the root of a word like proxy, it can also help you figure out definitions of other words. For example, we can see that the word proxy is related to words like procure and procurement by tracing it back to its original Latin root. 

What Are Translations of Proxy?

Different words that mean proxy are also present in other languages. By looking at this list of proxy translations from Nice Translator, you can learn how to communicate about proxies with people who do not speak English.

If you are a member of a committee in another country or dealing with a power of attorney situation in another country, knowing how to say the word proxy in that country’s native language can be incredibly useful. 

  • Arabic: الوكيل
  • Spanish: apoderado
  • Hebrew: proxy
  • Croatian: proxy
  • Turkish: proxy
  • Malay: proksi
  • Thai: พร็อกซี่
  • Latvian: proxy
  • Ukrainian: проксі
  • Catalan: proxy
  • Gujarati: પ્રોક્સી
  • Slovak: proxy
  • Tamil: பதிலாள்
  • Amharic: ተኪ
  • Hungarian: meghatalmazott
  • Serbian: заступник
  • German: Proxy
  • Chinese (PRC): 代理
  • Swedish: ombud
  • Bulgarian: прокси
  • Polish: pełnomocnik
  • Malayalam: പ്രോക്സി
  • Japanese: プロキシー
  • Greek: πληρεξούσιο
  • Russian: прокси
  • Basque: serxy
  • Telugu: ప్రాక్సీ
  • Kannada: ಪ್ರಾಕ್ಸಿ
  • Marathi: प्रॉक्सी
  • Korean: 대리
  • Urdu: پراکسی
  • Welsh: ddirprwyol
  • Slovenian: zastopnik
  • Estonian: volikiri
  • Hindi: प्रतिनिधि
  • French: Procuration
  • Chinese (Taiwan): 代理
  • Dutch: volmacht
  • Vietnamese: Ủy quyền
  • Icelandic: umboðsaðili
  • Finnish: proxy
  • Bengali: প্রক্সি

What Are Synonyms of Proxy?

The word proxy is a fairly advanced, formal word. Sometimes, you do not need a word that is quite so professional or formal. In this case, you can use a synonym of proxy form the below list, which Power Thesaurus provides. 

Learning synonyms of words like proxy can help you expand your vocabulary. Additionally, a word like proxy has a different connotation than a word like stand-in. This list can help you choose a word with the right context for your situation.

  • absentee vote
  • agency
  • agent
  • alternate
  • alternative
  • ambassador
  • assignee
  • attorney
  • backup
  • broker
  • commission
  • commissioner
  • delegate
  • deputy
  • double
  • emissary
  • envoy
  • factor
  • fill-in
  • go-between
  • intermediary
  • legate
  • letter of attorney
  • lieutenant
  • locum
  • locum tenens
  • pinch hitter
  • pinch-hitter
  • placeholder
  • plenipotentiary
  • plumper
  • power of attorney
  • procuration
  • procurator
  • proxies
  • relief
  • replacement
  • representative
  • reserve
  • second-in-command
  • spokesman
  • spokesperson
  • stand-in
  • sub
  • substitute
  • surrogate
  • understudy
  • vicar

What Are Antonyms of Proxy?

Power Thesaurus also lists numerous words that are antonyms of proxy, which can help expand your vocabulary. You can reference this list if you are looking for a word that refers to something original and not a proxy. How many of the below antonyms of proxy do you already know?

  • aboriginal
  • actual
  • archetype
  • authentic
  • avant-garde
  • character
  • creative
  • different
  • earliest
  • early
  • eccentric
  • experimental
  • fertile
  • first
  • fresh
  • fundamental
  • genuine
  • imaginative
  • indigenous
  • individual
  • individualist
  • ingenious
  • initial
  • innovative
  • innovatory
  • inspired
  • inventive
  • master
  • maverick
  • model
  • native
  • new
  • newfangled
  • nonconformist
  • novel
  • oddball
  • original
  • paradigm
  • pattern
  • pilot
  • pioneering
  • precursor
  • primal
  • primary
  • primeval
  • primitive
  • primordial
  • pristine
  • prototype
  • revolutionary
  • unconventional
  • unfamiliar
  • unique
  • unorthodox
  • unprecedented
  • unusual

Conclusion

The definition of proxy (ˈprɒksɪ) is a stand-in for something or someone. You might see the word proxy used in legal jargon or any other professional verbiage. It is also often seen in phrases like “by proxy.” How have you seen the word proxy used before?

Sources:

  1. Proxy Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
  2. Proxy synonyms – 657 Words and Phrases for Proxy | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Original synonyms – 2 434 Words and Phrases for Original | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Proxy Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
  5. Proxy | Nice Translator