profession
Americannoun
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professions
plural
-
a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science.
the profession of teaching.
- Synonyms:
- employment, calling
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- protestation, assertion, asseveration
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the declaration of belief in or acceptance of religion or a faith.
the profession of Christianity.
-
a religion or faith professed.
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the declaration made on entering into membership of a church or religious order.
noun
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an occupation requiring special training in the liberal arts or sciences, esp one of the three learned professions, law, theology, or medicine
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the body of people in such an occupation
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the act of professing; avowal; declaration
-
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Also called: profession of faith. a declaration of faith in a religion, esp as made on entering the Church of that religion or an order belonging to it
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the faith or the religion that is the subject of such a declaration
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Synonym Usage
See occupation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of profession
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Medieval Latin professiōn-, stem of professiō “the taking of the vows of a religious order,” from profess(us) “declared publicly” ( see professed) + -iō -ion
Explanation
An open declaration of an opinion or belief is a profession. If you announce that you believe the earth is flat, your profession of this opinion might cause some giggling among your well-educated friends. Careers that require specialized training or advanced degrees are considered professions. Your parents may want you to go into a profession like the practice of law, but you dream of being a rodeo clown. The collective group of people practicing a profession is also called profession. The medical profession doesn't know what to make of that thing growing out of your foot. You are a medical mystery!
Vocabulary lists containing profession
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
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"Democracy in America, Vol. 1" by Alexis de Tocqueville, Introduction–Chapter 5
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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.
See Examples For:
A lawyer by profession, Mundubile became the main opposition challenger after a fractured anti-government camp rallied around him through the Tonse Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties seeking to defeat Hichilema.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
This has now been confirmed in a landmark court ruling in the southwestern town of Bayonne, which said that cosmic radiation was one of three carcinogenic hazards arising from her profession.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“The list adds yet more pressure for a profession under attack,” Ramos wrote in the newspaper Reforma, which was also listed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Early this year, it became clear to investors that companies with a focus on the legal profession were highly vulnerable to an incursion by frontier AI developers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
He wore an animal skin over his tunic as a sign of his profession.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
It’s interesting to look back prior to 1960, 1950, and just see the professions and the things that justices did prior to being on the court.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Different professions seem to have different proportions of beard-wearing members.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The activist said he’s seen AI affect ride-hail drivers, therapists, architects, designers and other professions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
He questioned whether schools were preparing pupils for working life, pointing out that professions such as farming, nursing and medicine continued in hot weather.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Professing his innocence to her was futile, as professions of innocence were likely all she heard all day.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
