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, ˈprəʊfɪlɪst /

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

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

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

Hundreds of Taiwanese citizens began examining LiDAR profile images and helping the researchers eliminate tens of thousands of false candidates.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

“Dannon Coffee Yogurt will come back,” Acevedo said, “in ways that reflect the taste preferences, flavor profile and nutritional benefits many consumers seek in the yogurt aisle today.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

“There were some decisions to be made about ‘Do we keep Phil on life support?’” he recalled for the profile, published Monday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

France's captain Antoine Dupont successfully switched to the format for Paris 2024, helping his nation to their first gold of the games and massively boosting his profile in the process.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

“Can I use that for my profile pic?”

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

Tinder and Hinge say they will only implement generative AI in a dating coach capacity, giving users feedback on their profiles and suggestions for conversation starters rather than swiping for them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

People with high-risk biological profiles such as cluster 5 may require more intensive care or treatments designed to address their specific metabolic problems.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

As Saar’s 100th birthday approached, her work and its groundbreaking importance were celebrated afresh in a slew of articles, including two recent profiles in The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

“During an arrival maneuver, an aircraft flew lower than standard profiles, resulting in a disturbance on the beach that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas,” a Navy spokesperson said in a statement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

If you looked only at the dark parts on the side, you could see two profiles.

From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech

“I was in love with the frisson of transgression,” said Anna, one of the disillusioned former believers profiled in Sam Adler-Bell’s March 2026 investigation “The women leaving the new right.”

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

A few months later, the attorney said, Cancino was involved in another questionable stop, this time of a pedestrian who also later lodged a complaint alleging he was profiled.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Food trends columnist Adam Chandler profiled Lev Sercarz about cooking in this new era of American eating, and received suggestions for the best seasonings—from sumac to smoked salt—for spicing up even the simplest meals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Looking at England's equaliser in the Euro 2024 final, the ability of individual players - profiled properly - to come up with solutions was clear.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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

The genetic profiling revealed that female belugas regularly switch mates across breeding seasons, also over a long reproductive life.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 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

Scientists believe emerging technologies such as single-cell omics, lineage tracing, and spatial profiling may help reveal the distinct subtypes of senescent cells and identify safer therapeutic targets.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026

The National Security Agency also developed a behavioral profiling program, SKYNET, to identify Al Qaeda couriers in Afghanistan.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

He thought my idea of profiling a new recruit, following him all the way through, was a good one.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

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