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, ˌprɒfɪˈsɔːrɪəl /

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

Paris Tsartas, professor of tourism development at Harokopio University in Athens, told AFP the deluge of celebrity endorsements gave Greece a powerful boost as a summer destination -- particularly with the lucrative American market.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

The fact the Sussexes have switched between projects brings risks to their brand, says Susan Fournier, a branding expert and former professor at Harvard Business School and Boston University.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Wenjing Yang, MD, PhD, research assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, was co-first author of the study.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

Mr. Harper is a professor at the University of Oklahoma and the author of “The Last Animal: Human History and the Fate of Life on Earth from the Ice Age to the Sixth Extinction.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Once when my schedule had been messed up, and I’d needed the Academy secretary to un-mess it for me; the other times were for office-hours visit with this professor or that.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

There are currently five Black professors at Cambridge, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Only one per cent of professors in UK universities are black, making each appointment hugely significant.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Of course, the real Bourdain did not propose such a ludicrous project, which the movie professors pass on after he’d already boasted to his family and friends that he’d gotten the fellowship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

New graduates lament that while their college professors discouraged the use of AI tools, hiring managers applaud it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Educated Englishmen could read it; by using it, Bruno signalled that he was addressing himself to poets and courtiers, not to professors of mathematics or philosophy.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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