profession
Americannoun
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a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science.
the profession of teaching.
- Synonyms:
- employment, calling
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any vocation or business.
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the body of persons engaged in an occupation or calling.
to be respected by the medical profession.
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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.
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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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Related Words
See occupation.
Other Word Forms
- nonprofession noun
- professionless noun
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” ( professed ) + -iō -ion
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.
The question of whether she wanted to stick with this profession came up from time to time as she was getting older.
From Los Angeles Times
A chance encounter with a piano tuner -- the husband of his wife's friend -- set him wondering what this previously unconsidered profession was all about.
From Barron's
I’ve dedicated my life to this profession and our culture places a high value on that.
From Los Angeles Times
Physicians, nurses and other medical staff are stressed and burnt out, with some leaving the profession.
From Salon
"It's really concerning the number of them who talk about having to leave the profession entirely because they cannot afford to live their lives in that insecure way."
From BBC
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.
