profile

American  

[proh-fahyl] / ˈproʊ faɪl /

noun

• profiles
  plural

1. the outline or contour of the human face, especially the face viewed from one side.

   Synonyms:

   silhouette

2. a picture or representation of the side view of a head.

3. an outlined view, as of a city or mountain.

4. an outline of an object, as a molding, formed on a vertical plane passed through the object at right angles to one of its principal horizontal dimensions.

5. a drawing or the like representing this.

6. Surveying. a vertical section of the ground surface taken parallel to a survey line.

7. a verbal, arithmetical, or graphic summary or analysis of the history, status, etc., of a process, activity, relationship, or set of characteristics.

   a biochemical profile of a patient's blood;

   a profile of national consumer spending.

8. an informal biography or a concisely presented sketch of the life and character of a person.

9. Digital Technology. the personal details, images, user statistics, social media timeline, etc., that an individual creates and associates with a username or online account.

10. a set of characteristics or qualities that identify a type or category of person or thing.

    a profile of a typical allergy sufferer.

11. the look, configuration, or lines of something.

    cars with a modern profile.

12. degree of noticeability; visibility.

13. Psychology. a description of behavioral and personality traits of a person compared with accepted norms or standards.

14. Theater. a flat stage property or scenic piece cut from a firm, thin material, as of beaverboard or plywood, and having an irregular edge resembling the silhouette of a natural object.

15. (in a gear) the outline of either end of a tooth.

16. Naval Architecture. a longitudinal elevation or section of a vessel.

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verb (used with object)

• profiles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• profiled,
  past participle,  past
• profiling
  present participle

1. to draw a profile of.

2. to produce or present a history, description, or analysis of.

   The magazine will profile the candidate in its next issue.

profile British  

/ ˈprəʊfaɪl /

noun

1. a side view, outline, or representation of an object, esp of a human face or head

2. a view or representation of an object, esp a building, in contour or outline

3. a short biographical sketch of a subject

4. a graph, table, or list of scores representing the extent to which a person, field, or object exhibits various tested characteristics or tendencies

   a population profile

5. a vertical section of soil from the ground surface to the parent rock showing the different horizons

6. 1. a vertical section of part of the earth's crust showing the layers of rock

   2. a representation of such a section

7. the outline of the shape of a river valley either from source to mouth ( long profile ) or at right angles to the flow of the river ( cross profile )

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verb

1. to draw, write, or make a profile of

2. to cut out a shape from a blank (as of steel) with a cutter

profile Idioms  

1. see keep a low profile.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-profile
  noun
• profiler
  noun
• profilist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• profiles
  plural

Participles

• profiling
  present
• profiled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• profile
  simple
• profiles
  simple
• have profiled
  perfect
• has profiled
  perfect
• am profiling
  progressive
• are profiling
  progressive
• is profiling
  progressive
• have been profiling
  perfect progressive
• has been profiling
  perfect progressive

Past

• profiled
  simple
• had profiled
  perfect
• was profiling
  progressive
• were profiling
  progressive
• had been profiling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will profile
  simple
• will have profiled
  perfect
• will be profiling
  progressive
• will have been profiling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of profile

First recorded in 1650–60; (for the noun) from Italian prof(f)ilo, noun derivative of profilare “to delineate, outline,” from pro- pro- ¹ + -filare, derivative of filo “line, thread,” from Latin fīlum

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Explanation

If a magazine editor asks you to write a profile of an up-and-coming novelist, she's asking you to write a biographical sketch, to give the readers a sense of the novelist as a person. Profile comes from the Italian profilo, the thin colored border of cloth that outlines a garment. It came to mean any kind of sketch or outline, especially of faces. If someone compliments your profile means you look nice from the side (try outlining from other angles). If you have a criminal profile, your criminal record creates a picture of an active life of crime. A profile is also a drawing of the earth in cross-section, showing layers of crust.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

profile profiles profiled profiling

A chorus of testimony from people who were once closest to Musk builds a profile of a megalomaniacal con artist.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

But he also has a global profile, including in Africa, where Infantino recently received a major re-election boost when receiving the backing of all 54 member national associations after promising an increase in funding.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

After a similar flood of messages, a Chinese-American student named Winston Lee at the University of Pennsylvania added a disclaimer to his LinkedIn profile: "I do not go to Cornell."

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Selling has accelerated throughout the AI ecosystem in recent weeks as investors worry about the growth profile in the teeth of higher interest rates and the struggles of Anthropic and OpenAI to reach profitability.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

Standing in a 1796 portrait of the Washington family is a house servant in uniform, a black man in profile, his features vague and shadowy.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

In its email to customers, Asos confirmed data profiles were taken but said no bank details or passwords were accessed.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

With thousands of DNA profiles to process, fragmented remains and limited technical capacity and manpower, experts warn matching bodies to families could take weeks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Now with the help of artificial intelligence, Etsy has built more precise profiles on over 70% of its shoppers, with plans to map the rest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

When coffee drinkers stopped drinking coffee, researchers observed substantial shifts in their gut metabolite profiles compared with people who did not normally consume coffee.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

On the road ahead, he can make out several acres of uncut hay and the gentle profiles of unlit farm buildings—a house and barn.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

"Our recording captured a clear, permanent mark distinguishing the two very first cells, letting us trace nearly every cell we profiled from the embryo back to one or the other," said Kim.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

As profiled by The Wall Street Journal this week, a Chicago man who calls himself The Profiler has flagged thousands, warning users to scrutinize even verified accounts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Earlier this month, the New York Times profiled the Modern Silent Shorts festival, which has annually showcased short films it commissions from select filmmakers since 2024.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

The walls are lined with paintings done by her husband, Igor — a painter and sculptor whom The Times profiled in 1991.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

They were profiled in the New Yorker, and they clipped reviews and answered enthusiastic letters.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

They had not been charged because profiling and documentation were still under way before the deaths, he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Researchers plan to combine detailed cognitive testing with brain imaging, blood biomarkers, genetics, neuropathology, immune profiling, sleep and activity monitoring, social and environmental measurements, and other indicators of whole-person health.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026

But activists say hundreds have been pushed across the border from Assam in recent months without due legal process, often based on ethnic profiling.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

“Hatred has no place here, and I will continue to fight against all forms of discrimination, including the racial profiling and scapegoating of Chinese Americans,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

He had had no experience with profiling, hadn’t been suspected of anything by anyone with real authority.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

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Related Words

• analysis
• biography
• chart
• review
• sketch
• study
• survey

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