proxy

[ prok-see ]

noun

, plural prox·ies.

1. the agency, function, or power of a person authorized to act as the deputy or substitute for another.
2. a person authorized to act as a deputy or substitute for another; agent.
3. a written authorization empowering another person to vote or act for the signer, such as at a meeting of stockholders.
4. an ally or confederate who can be relied upon to speak or act in one's behalf.
5. Computer.
   1. a server or program that receives requests, filters them, and forwards them to a network on behalf of another computer or network which it represents under a surrogate IP address: used to provide anonymity or increased security or to carry out intermediate processing.
   2. a placeholder programming object whose function is to delegate the execution of an action to one or more other objects it controls access to, allowing the placeholder to carry out other processing before and after that action.

adjective

1. relating to or having the agency, function, or power of a person authorized to act as the deputy or substitute for another:

   If you are unable to reach the polls, you can choose a proxy voter to cast your ballot for you.

   Because of the distance to be traveled, a proxy groom stood in for the queen's future husband.

2. (especially of a conflict) occurring between states, people, etc., who are directed, influenced, or funded by other states, people, etc.:

   Proxy wars were a major feature of the Cold War.

   The new CEO won control of the company after a proxy battle.

proxy

/ ˈprɒksɪ /

noun

1. a person authorized to act on behalf of someone else; agent

   to vote by proxy

2. the authority, esp in the form of a document, given to a person to act on behalf of someone else
3. computing short for proxy server

proxy

1. A person authorized to act for another, or the written authorization to act for another.

Notes

Shareholders in corporations may designate proxies to represent them at stockholders ' meetings and vote their shares .

Word History and Origins

Origin of proxy¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English prokesye, procusie, contraction of procuracy “procuration”; procure, -acy

Word History and Origins

Origin of proxy¹

C15: prokesye, contraction of procuracy, from Latin prōcūrātiō procuration; see procure

Example Sentences

If Tanton’s efforts had shaped the present — turning concerns about overpopulation and climate change into a proxy battle for defending a white majority on an imperiled continent — I hoped that Taylor might help me understand where this battle was headed.

From Salon

You can name your health care proxy who can do this through a durable power of attorney.

From Salon

Calling it “the worst deal in history”, he shared the views of many governments in the region that the deal, aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, failed to tackle Iran’s ballistic missile programme while enriching the Revolutionary Guards with money then used to fund proxy militias around the region.

From BBC

“Judging by the pre-election rhetoric … the Republican team is not going to send more and more American taxpayer money into the furnace of the proxy war against Russia,” he said.

From Salon

He ran his own campaign to raise money for Democrats in red states, became the party’s fighter on conservative television shows and acted as a proxy for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• intermediary
• stand-in
• surrogate