variants
or less commonly pretor
: an ancient Roman magistrate ranking below a consul and having chiefly judicial functions
Examples of praetor in a Sentence
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Constructed between 144 and 140 B.C. by an ancestor of Julius Caesar, the praetor Quintus Marcius Rex (after whom it was named), the Marcia was also the longest of the 11 aqueducts, running nearly 57 miles from its source springs to Rome.
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Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025
Macrinus was a mere praetor, a judicial official, with little political experience.
—National Geographic, 19 Mar. 2019
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Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025
Macrinus was a mere praetor, a judicial official, with little political experience.
—National Geographic, 19 Mar. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Praetor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/praetor. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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praetor
noun
prae·tor
ˈprēt-ər 
: an ancient Roman official ranking below a consul and acting as a judge
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