lecturer
Americannoun
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a person who lectures.
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an academic rank given in colleges and universities to a teacher ranking below assistant professor.
noun
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a person who lectures
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a teacher in higher education without professorial status
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Etymology
Origin of lecturer
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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.
Vocabulary lists containing lecturer
Ancient Greece, Lessons 1–3
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Education and Academics, List 2
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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.
When Bregman was announced as the 2025 Reith Lecturer, the BBC said his series, titled Moral Revolution, would "delve into the current 'age of immorality', exploring a growing trend for unseriousness among elites".
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025
Malin Holst, a Senior Lecturer in Osteoarchaeology at the University of York, said in 30 years of analysing skeletons she had "never seen anything like these bite marks".
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2025
In recent years, Hussain has served as an educator in residence at Princeton University and Stanford University and, in 2015, was appointed Regents Lecturer at UC Berkeley, his family’s statement said.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024
Dr Thomas Murphy, Lecturer in Environmental Sciences at the University of Plymouth, is the study’s lead author.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2024
Lecturer on Chemistry to the Edinburgh School of Arts. 12mo, 7s. boards.
From Life of Mary Queen of Scots, Volume I (of 2) by Bell, Henry Glassford
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
