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lecturer

American  
[lek-cher-er] / ˈlɛk tʃər ər /

noun

  1. a person who lectures.

  2. an academic rank given in colleges and universities to a teacher ranking below assistant professor.


lecturer British  
/ ˈlɛktʃərə /

noun

  1. a person who lectures

  2. a teacher in higher education without professorial status

"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

Etymology

Origin of lecturer

First recorded in 1560–70; lecture + -er 1

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Explanation

A lecturer is someone who stands up in front of a class and gives an organized talk designed to teach you something. There are lots of lecturers at colleges and universities. Although many professors lecture, in this country the title lecturer usually refers to a teacher who is not a permanent member of the faculty but one of the many college instructors who does not have tenure. The lecturer may even be hired for a single semester or year. The title is used slightly differently in England. There are some professional lecturers — people, like former President Bill Clinton, who make their living by going around the world giving speeches.

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Vocabulary lists containing lecturer

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.

Dr Amy Thomas, a lecturer in intellectual property and information law at the University of Glasgow, said identifying someone was not the same as proving copyright infringement.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

After leaving the central bank in 2011, Warsh, among other things, served as a lecturer at Stanford University’s business school and as a visiting fellow at the university’s Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

"The current crisis could boost the chances of the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline being built," said Natasha Kuhrt, lecturer in international peace and security at King's College London.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

“Tanker tracking used to be terrible, it was medieval,” said Adi Imsirovic, a former energy-trading executive and lecturer at the University of Oxford.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

Mda quickly established a branch of the Youth League at Fort Hare under the guidance of Z. K. Matthews and Godfrey Pitje, a lecturer in anthropology.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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