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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Derived Forms
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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.
That month, a protest was held outside a classroom in Sweeney Hall where a guest lecturer, Jeffrey Blutinger, was speaking about the war.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
He was in his second year of an English Literature degree, and Burnham's former lecturer, John Mullan, wrote in the Times that other students thought he had scooped the pools when they began dating.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
Martin Slade, a lecturer in occupational medicine at Yale School of Medicine and in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at YSPH, co-authored the study.
From Science Daily • Jun. 21, 2026
Last month, Indian authorities arrested the alleged mastermind behind this year’s medical exam leak, a chemistry lecturer involved in the testing process.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
“She should have been senior lecturer years ago.”
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
