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

Benjamin Laker is a university professor who’s been writing about leadership and strategy on Forbes since early 2020. —Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

These public health efforts to curb overdose deaths are working, said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, a Johns Hopkins University public health professor. —Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024

Reach Bryant Stamford, a professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College, at [e-mail]. —Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 19 Dec. 2024

Roman Lukyanenko, a University of Virginia professor who specializes in research methods, agrees that a major future focus should be developing ways to support the initial prompt process to glean better answers. —IEEE Spectrum, 18 Dec. 2024

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