profession

[pruh-fesh-uhn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR profession ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science: the profession of teaching.Compare learned profession.

any vocation or business.

the body of persons engaged in an occupation or calling: to be respected by the medical profession.

the act of professing; avowal; a declaration, whether true or false: professions of dedication.

the declaration of belief in or acceptance of religion or a faith: the profession of Christianity.

a religion or faith professed.

the declaration made on entering into membership of a church or religious order.

Origin of profession

1175–1225; Middle English < Medieval Latin professiōn- (stem of professiō) the taking of the vows of a religious order. See professed, -ion

Related formspro·fes·sion·less, nounnon·pro·fes·sion, noun

Synonyms for profession

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR profession ON THESAURUS.COM

1. calling, employment. 4. asseveration, assertion, protestation.

Synonym study

1. See occupation.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for profession

art, business, career, undertaking, specialty, field, craft, pursuit, situation, role, employment, occupation, dodge, slot, berth, engagement, handicraft, service, office, sphere

Examples from the Web for profession

Contemporary Examples of profession

Who will want to enter this profession for a poverty wage and little or no paid time off?
Care Providers Fight for $15 and a Union
Jasmin Almodovar, Shirley Thompson
December 5, 2014
The ones who could handle her profession stuck around for many years.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix
Justin Jones
November 25, 2014
I was impressed by how many young and old people are in the profession.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark
Alex Belth
November 14, 2014
He has given that profession a swagger that, let's face it, few other professions have.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark
Alex Belth
November 14, 2014
This is one of the most subtle and touching aspects of the profession.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark
Alex Belth
November 14, 2014

Historical Examples of profession

Finally he disappeared, and, as it seems, embraced the profession of a sailor.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
This Niebuhr, who was a surveyor by profession, was a young man who deserves our admiration.
Ancient Man
Hendrik Willem van Loon
Mr. Wing is an American-born Chinese and practises the profession of a valet.
The Garden of Bright Waters
Various
This profession of ours is a big one, but you know its jealousies.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
You belong to the profession, and know what would be the consequence if I did so.
The Imaginary Invalid
Molire

British Dictionary definitions for profession

profession

noun

an occupation requiring special training in the liberal arts or sciences, esp one of the three learned professions, law, theology, or medicine

the body of people in such an occupation

the act of professing; avowal; declaration

Also called: profession of faitha declaration of faith in a religion, esp as made on entering the Church of that religion or an order belonging to it
the faith or the religion that is the subject of such a declaration

Word Origin for profession

C13: from Medieval Latin professiō the taking of vows upon entering a religious order, from Latin: public acknowledgment; see profess

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

Word Origin and History for profession

c.1200, "vows taken upon entering a religious order," from Old French profession (12c.), from Latin professionem (nominative professio) "public declaration," from past participle stem of profiteri "declare openly" (see profess). Meaning "any solemn declaration" is from mid-14c. Meaning "occupation one professes to be skilled in" is from early 15c.; meaning "body of persons engaged in some occupation" is from 1610; as a euphemism for "prostitution" (e.g. oldest profession) it is recorded from 1888.