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full professor

American  

noun

  1. professor.


full professor British  

noun

  1. a university teacher of the highest academic rank

"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

Etymology

Origin of full professor

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

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.

See Examples For:

Bazer is still working as a full professor at Texas A&M University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and tax law doesn’t require him to take RMDs until he retires later this year.

From Barron's Jun. 13, 2026

Over the course of her career, she published hundreds of scientific papers and became the first woman to be appointed a full professor at Harvard University.

From BBC Apr. 22, 2026

Back in the U.S., in 1972, Mr. Edwards started teaching at the Livingston College campus of New Jersey’s Rutgers University, where he became a full professor in 1980 and retired 22 years later.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 31, 2026

Baltimore’s discovery was attended by great fanfare and led to his promotion to full professor at MIT.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 8, 2025

Irwin was a full professor at twenty-six and had the pale, hairless skin of a boy genius.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

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