professor

American  

[pruh-fes-er] / prəˈfɛs ər /

noun

• professors
  plural

1. a teacher of the highest academic rank in a college or university, who has been awarded the title Professor in a particular branch of learning; a full professor.

   a professor of Spanish literature.

2. any teacher who has the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor.

3. a teacher.

4. an instructor in some art or skilled sport.

   a professor of singing; a professor of boxing.

5. a person who professes or declares particular sentiments, beliefs, etc.

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professor British  

/ prəˈfɛsə /

noun

1. the principal lecturer or teacher in a field of learning at a university or college; a holder of a university chair

2. any teacher in a university or college See also associate professor assistant professor full professor

3. a person who claims skill and instructs others in some sport, occupation, etc

4. a person who professes his opinions, beliefs, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• professorialism
  noun
• subprofessor
  noun
• nonprofessorial
  adjective
• professorial
  adjective
• pseudoprofessorial
  adjective
• unprofessorial
  adjective
• nonprofessorially
  adverb
• professorially
  adverb
• unprofessorially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• professors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of professor

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Medieval Latin prōfessor “one who has taken the vows of a religious order,” Latin: “a public lecturer,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + -fet-, combining form of fatērī “to acknowledge, declare” + -tor -tor, with tt becoming ss

Explanation

A professor is someone who teaches at a college or university. Professor is officially a teacher of the highest rank, above adjuncts and lecturers, but college students can call them all professor. The Latin origin of the word means “declare publicly,” and professors are responsible for publicly sharing their knowledge with the world, or at least with whoever can afford to pay them for lessons. Although anyone teaching college can be called a professor, it’s really a title that has to be earned by going to graduate school and moving up by being an assistant professor, then associate professor, and finally a full professor.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

professor professors

“If a human did this, it would be an instant Fields Medal, no questions asked,” Alex Kontorovich, a Rutgers University distinguished math professor, wrote on X about the Riemann result.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Herman, a former professor in UCLA’s painting and drawing department and co-founder of the now-defunct Black Dragon Society gallery in Chinatown, lives with the work of his former students and friends crammed throughout his home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

In one assignment to test students' ability to evaluate scientific arguments, Paustian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's bacteriology department, was suspicious that they might simply copy the instructions into a chatbot.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

“When we look at aging, people talk about living longer. But we should be talking about living longer without disease,” Lu Qi, lead author of the study and professor at Tulane University, told Marketwatch.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Which wasn’t something I could say about any other professor on campus.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The university's Faculty Senate, a governing body comprised of professors and other academic staff, will vote on a resolution of no confidence next week, according to reports.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Mr. Dillon, a former federal prosecutor, is a partner at Dillon PLLC, where he represents students and professors in campus misconduct cases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

My English teachers and literature professors were probably too tired to parse such nuance, and I don’t blame them.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

She recalled that her college professors “who taught me technical and academic skills helped make my own career possible.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Courier’s Harvard professors dismissed them outright: “Good night, gentlemen.”

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Related Words

• assistant
• educator
• faculty member
• fellow
• instructor
• lecturer
• principal
• teacher
• tutor