professional

[ pruh-fesh-uh-nl ]

/ prəˈfɛʃ ə nl /

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See synonyms for: professional / professionals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.

of, relating to, or connected with a profession: professional studies.

appropriate to a profession: professional objectivity.

engaged in one of the learned professions: A lawyer is a professional person.

following as a business an occupation ordinarily engaged in as a pastime: a professional golfer.

making a business or constant practice of something not properly to be regarded as a business: “A salesman,” he said, “is a professional optimist.”

undertaken or engaged in as a means of livelihood or for gain: professional baseball.

of or for a professional person or their place of business or work: a professional apartment; professional equipment.

done by an expert: professional car repairs.

noun

a person who belongs to one of the professions, especially one of the learned professions.

a person who earns a living in a sport or other occupation frequently engaged in by amateurs: a golf professional.

an expert player, as of golf or tennis, serving as a teacher, consultant, performer, or contestant; pro.

a person who is expert at some kind of work: You can tell by her comments that this editor is a real professional.

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Origin of professional

First recorded in 1740–50; profession + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM professional

pro·fes·sion·al·ly, adverbin·ter·pro·fes·sion·al, adjectivepseu·do·pro·fes·sion·al, adjective

Words nearby professional

profert, profess, professed, professedly, profession, professional, professional association, professional corporation, professional foul, professionalism, professionalize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use professional in a sentence

It finds some resilience among home, local and professional services, as well as automotive.
Facebook Business Suite is a new cross-app management tool for SMBs|Greg Sterling|September 17, 2020|Search Engine Land
All perfectly positive words and something we should all strive for in our professional lives.
Google ranking factors to change search in 2021: Core Web Vitals, E-A-T, or AMP?|Aleh Barysevich|September 16, 2020|Search Engine Watch
While FDASIA was a step toward supply chain transparency, it still leaves the patients and health-care professionals without information that could be critical.
The ‘inactive' ingredients in your pills could harm you|By Yelena Ionova/The Conversation|September 15, 2020|Popular-Science
It’s about understanding the world of professional money and the mind-set of professional investors, from the perspective of those who’ve been through the process, so that you know what to expect when you walk in the room, for better or for worse.
‘How I Built This’ host Guy Raz on insights from some of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs|Rachel King|September 15, 2020|Fortune

Commonly used by SEO professionals to gain an advantage when it comes to ranking in the search engines or from business owners who have a company name that is closely linked to the services they offer or area they work in.
Partial match domains in 2020: How to optimize and use effectively|Tudor Lodge Consultants|September 14, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Texas offers not just place to its actual or potential new residents, but professional possibilities.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet Texas does not foreclose professional opportunities for him.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, I publicly vowed to abstain from The Ball in 2012, but professional responsibilities and curiosity got the better of me.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Soon thereafter, Bentivolio was asked to play Santa in downtown Milford and became a professional.
Kerry Bentivolio: The Congressman Who Believes in Santa Claus|Ben Jacobs|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“By no means are we Grade A professional consultants,” Goff said.
‘Ready for Romney’ Is Amateur Hour|Tim Mak|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My father, who was a professional cricketer, was smashed up by an accident, and I had three horrible years in employment in shops.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
True, she had taken a lively interest in all her brother's curates, but it was always a professional interest and purely Platonic.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
For these plays were not the work of a professional writer, but the recreation of a (temporary) professional soldier.
First Plays|A. A. Milne
They require frequent cleaning with a long wire and a bit of tow, and in some large towns there are professional pipe-cleaners.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
In conversing with professional gentlemen, never question them upon matters connected with their employment.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for professional

professional

/ (prəˈfɛʃənəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, suitable for, or engaged in as a profession

engaging in an activity for gain or as a means of livelihood

extremely competent in a job, etc
(of a piece of work or anything performed) produced with competence or skill

undertaken or performed for gain or by people who are paid

noun

a person who belongs to or engages in one of the professions

a person who engages for his livelihood in some activity also pursued by amateurs

a person who engages in an activity with great competence

an expert player of a game who gives instruction, esp to members of a club by whom he is hired

Derived forms of professional

professionally, adverb

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

professional

Origin of professional

OTHER WORDS FROM professional

Words nearby professional

Words related to professional

How to use professional in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for professional

Derived forms of professional