professor

noun

pro·​fes·​sor prə-ˈfe-sər 

1

: one that professes, avows, or declares

2

a

: a faculty member of the highest academic rank at an institution of higher education

b

: a teacher at a university, college, or sometimes secondary school

c

: one that teaches or professes special knowledge of an art, sport, or occupation requiring skill

professorship

prə-ˈfe-sər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of professor in a Sentence

Professor Williams will be teaching the class.

Recent Examples on the Web

Part of that comes from his skill in collecting money from the government, according to Jeb Barnes, a professor of political science for the University of Southern California. —Alena Botros, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2025

However, Joseph Balagtas, a professor of agriculture economics at Purdue University, says prices could start to ease within days. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025

Huntsman School of Business professor Timothy Gardner and consultant Colin Wong explain these tactics, like sandbagging, falsifying data, and giving excessive discounts to close deals. —Harvard Business Review, 18 Mar. 2025

For this reason, President Trump’s firing of six top military leaders upon taking office is concerning, says Richard Kohn, former chief historian of the Air Force and now professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. —Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing professor

• assistant professor
• associate professor
• regius professor

Rhymes for professor

• aggressor
• assessor
• compressor
• confessor
• depressor
• hairdresser
• necessar
• oppressor
• possessor
• processor
• repressor
• successor

Kids Definition

professor

noun

pro·​fes·​sor prə-ˈfes-ər 

: a teacher especially of the highest rank at a college or university

professorial

ˌprō-fə-ˈsōr-ē-əl 

ˌpräf-ə-

-ˈsȯr-

adjective

professorially

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb