professional
Americanadjective
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following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain.
a professional builder.
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of, relating to, or connected with a profession.
professional studies.
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appropriate to a profession.
professional objectivity.
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engaged in one of the learned professions.
A lawyer is a professional person.
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following as a business an occupation ordinarily engaged in as a pastime.
a professional golfer.
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making a business or constant practice of something not properly to be regarded as a business.
“A salesman,” he said, “is a professional optimist.”
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undertaken or engaged in as a means of livelihood or for gain.
professional baseball.
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of or for a professional person or their place of business or work.
a professional apartment; professional equipment.
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done by an expert.
professional car repairs.
noun
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professionals
plural
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a person who belongs to one of the professions, especially one of the learned professions.
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a person who earns a living in a sport or other occupation frequently engaged in by amateurs.
a golf professional.
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an expert player, as of golf or tennis, serving as a teacher, consultant, performer, or contestant; pro.
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a person who is expert at some kind of work.
You can tell by her comments that this editor is a real professional.
adjective
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of, relating to, suitable for, or engaged in as a profession
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engaging in an activity for gain or as a means of livelihood
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extremely competent in a job, etc
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(of a piece of work or anything performed) produced with competence or skill
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undertaken or performed for gain or by people who are paid
noun
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a person who belongs to or engages in one of the professions
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a person who engages for his livelihood in some activity also pursued by amateurs
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a person who engages in an activity with great competence
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an expert player of a game who gives instruction, esp to members of a club by whom he is hired
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of professional
First recorded in 1740–50; profession + -al 1
Explanation
When an athlete "goes pro," she goes professional–-she is paid for her service rather than doing it on an amateur basis. Other professionals, including doctors and lawyers, are also paid for their work, which, we hope, they conduct in a professional manner. In the 15th century, the word profession referred to vows taken upon entering a religious order. A monk or priest professed his faith. Now, the word suggests competence and expertise and even dignity––"He can't ask me to go out for coffee. I'm a vice president. That just wouldn't be professional!"
Vocabulary lists containing professional
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The Mark of Athena
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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:
"There's only so much we can intervene and control," said Fyles, admitting this was hard to accept as a professional gardener.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Conferences are weighing rules that wouldn’t allow schools to accept players who had signed professional contracts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Lane and Shook developed a friendship in 2011, Shook said, with Lane providing professional guidance to Shook over the years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
It was in fact a family praise name which he adopted as his professional identity.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Carmine Nigro was a professional musician, and taught music in a number of styles.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
But don’t allow that to spook you from seeking out help from other professionals.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
The attorney seeks to call on family members and mental health professionals to talk about Salazar’s history of mental illness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
I don't really like to review and criticise food - I'll leave that to the professionals.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
She said healthcare professionals have asked the charity for advice.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
A handful of professionals gathered with a trained psychotherapist to share their problems in a safe environment.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
