professor
Americannoun
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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.
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any teacher who has the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor.
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a teacher.
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an instructor in some art or skilled sport.
a professor of singing; a professor of boxing.
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a person who professes or declares particular sentiments, beliefs, etc.
noun
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the principal lecturer or teacher in a field of learning at a university or college; a holder of a university chair
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any teacher in a university or college See also associate professor assistant professor full professor
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a person who claims skill and instructs others in some sport, occupation, etc
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a person who professes his opinions, beliefs, etc
Other Word Forms
- nonprofessorial adjective
- nonprofessorially adverb
- professorial adjective
- professorialism noun
- professorially adverb
- pseudoprofessorial adjective
- subprofessor noun
- unprofessorial adjective
- unprofessorially adverb
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
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 study was led by Danxia Yu, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Epidemiology, and Jason Samuels, MD, assistant professor of Surgery.
From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026
But when I asked if she thought the Surf City insurgents could upend California politics, the professor quickly said, “No.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
But BTS are proving that is not going to be the case for them, said American sociologist Sam Richards, a professor at Pennsylvania State University.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
“We can tell you it’s a tanker, it’s a fishing vessel, it’s a speedboat, it’s a sailing boat,” said Zack Spica, a University of Michigan assistant professor who co-founded Lumetec, which is selling the technology.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Soon, Sophie would also meet Kurt Huber, the group’s favorite professor.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
