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Synonyms

professor

American  
[pruh-fes-er] / prəˈfɛs ər /

noun

  1. a teacher of the highest academic rank in a college or university, who has been awarded the title Professor in a particular branch of learning; a full professor.

    a professor of Spanish literature.

  2. any teacher who has the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor.

  3. a teacher.

  4. an instructor in some art or skilled sport.

    a professor of singing; a professor of boxing.

  5. a person who professes or declares particular sentiments, beliefs, etc.


professor British  
/ prəˈfɛsə, ˌprɒfɪˈsɔːrɪəl /

noun

  1. the principal lecturer or teacher in a field of learning at a university or college; a holder of a university chair

  2. any teacher in a university or college See also associate professor assistant professor full professor

  3. a person who claims skill and instructs others in some sport, occupation, etc

  4. a person who professes his opinions, beliefs, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonprofessorial adjective
  • nonprofessorially adverb
  • professorial adjective
  • professorialism noun
  • professorially adverb
  • pseudoprofessorial adjective
  • subprofessor noun
  • unprofessorial adjective
  • unprofessorially adverb

Etymology

Origin of professor

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Medieval Latin prōfessor “one who has taken the vows of a religious order,” Latin: “a public lecturer,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + -fet-, combining form of fatērī “to acknowledge, declare” + -tor -tor, with tt becoming ss

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Around half of reef locations affected by bleaching-level heat stress were exposed twice or more during the three-year event -- often with devastating consequences," said Scott Heron, professor of physics at James Cook University.

From Science Daily

In his work, the University of California Davis psychology professor offers a dating and relationships alternative in which compatibility trumps all.

From Los Angeles Times

Emails between Epstein and dozens of scholars, Tramo among them, show how professors aggressively pursued donations in the hopes of getting a slice of the financier’s estimated $600 million.

From Los Angeles Times

"We let the virus slip out through our fingers when it first emerged in the poultry industry," said corresponding senior author Thijs Kuiken, a professor at Erasmus MC.

From Science Daily

Ioannis Spilanis, emeritus professor at the University of the Aegean, says what is happening in the Cyclades "is voracious, predatory real estate".

From Barron's