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

The German insurer has an attractively low risk profile, the analyst adds, while its nonlife business offers a combination of top-line and profit growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

He also posts foody content to his YouTube profile.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

“We emphasize the rarity of these events and continue to believe that use of GLP-1s under medical supervision remains extremely safe, with a favorable risk/benefit profile for patients.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026

But after the outrage over shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration agents in Minneapolis in January prompted the White House to roll back the policy, he has kept a lower profile.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

I can’t help it, but I click her profile.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

The 12th in an occasional series of profiles on Southern California athletes who have flourished in their post-playing careers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026

The Department of Peace said it accessed the DHS agent profiles through a single sign-on service called Okta.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Click on the tickers for more about each company, including corporate profiles, analysts’ ratings and consensus price targets.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

The researchers compared several groove shapes, including narrow channels with square profiles and longer channels with curved bottoms.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

He snipped away at the black paper, then separated the two thicknesses and pasted the profiles on a card and handed them to me.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

The New York Times profiled Sand in 2019, noting that the Brown University and University of Iowa College of Law graduate doesn’t like to talk about his days modeling in Paris and Milan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026

"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

“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

Twenty feet from us stood a figure, straight, motionless, profiled, the scarlet hieb and white shirt an inlay of bright enamel against the green of the high grass.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

“Many Hindu families in Ohio live with fear—fear of ICE raids, profiling based on accent or appearance and the constant anxiety of family separation,” Pyakurel wrote.

From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2026

One bill, dubbed the “No Kings Act,” makes it easier for residents to sue federal agents for alleged civil rights violations, such as racial profiling, unlawful searches or interfering with the right to free speech.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

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

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Future studies will need to follow larger groups of patients over time while combining measurements of stool oxalate, carefully documented dietary intake, molecular profiling and microbiome analyses.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 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
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