profiler

American

[proh-fahy-ler] / ˈproʊ faɪ lər /

noun

any of several types of machine tools for reproducing shapes in metal or other materials from a master form.

profiler British

/ ˈprəʊfaɪlə /

noun

a person or device that creates a profile, esp someone with psychological training who assists police investigations by identifying the likely characteristics of the perpetrator of a particular crime

"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

Etymology

Origin of profiler

First recorded in 1900–05; profile + -er ¹

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.

See Examples For:

profiler

But O’Toole, the retired FBI profiler, said attackers don’t think of it that way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

For the Disney+ documentary, he gave buzzy celebrity profiler R.J.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

This Wondery podcast, hosted by the former F.B.I. criminal profiler Candice DeLong, who also spent a decade as a psychiatric nurse, examines the case and all the systemic breakdowns that led Bardo straight to Schaeffer.

From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2024

“This guy is one of these almost invisible people that are out there,” former FBI profiler Gregg McCrary told NBC News.

From Salon ● Jul. 16, 2024

She had been accepted as an FBI profiler prior to finding herself pregnant.

From Tokyo to Tijuana: Gabriele Departing America by Steven (Steven David Justin) Sills

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023