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

Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota who was the chief ethics lawyer in the administration of President George W. Bush, told CNN in a phone interview that Musk must recuse himself from anything to do with the CFPB or risk violating criminal conflict of interest law. —Matt Egan, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025

Steve Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University, said presidents can appeal adverse rulings rather than imply they shouldn't be followed. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025

Caroline Corbin, professor at the University of Miami School of Law, agreed that narrowing in on one religion is not necessarily considered favoring one over another. —Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2025

Don Moynihan, a professor at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, told NPR that the budget for the 2.4 million federal employees is about $350 billion out of an overall $6.5 trillion budget. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 10 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing professor

• assistant professor
• associate professor
• regius professor

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