professor

noun

pro·​fes·​sor prə-ˈfe-sər 

1

: one that professes, avows, or declares

2

a

: a faculty member of the highest academic rank at an institution of higher education

b

: a teacher at a university, college, or sometimes secondary school

c

: one that teaches or professes special knowledge of an art, sport, or occupation requiring skill

professorship

prə-ˈfe-sər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of professor in a Sentence

Professor Williams will be teaching the class.

Recent Examples on the Web

At Yale University, a committee of professors wanted to know why public trust in higher education had collapsed. —Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026

David Awschalom is the Liew Family professor of quantum engineering and physics and the University of Chicago, founding director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange and senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. —David Awschalom, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026

But the image of the jovial professor, divorced from the messiness of the politics of the day after his own resignation in a COVID-era scandal in 2022, didn’t quite square with the reality of his time in Miami. —Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2026

After completing his PhD, Limon hoped to return to Bangladesh and get a job as a university professor, Ahmed said. —Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing professor

• assistant professor
• associate professor
• regius professor

Rhymes for professor

• aggressor
• assessor
• compressor
• confessor
• depressor
• hairdresser
• necessar
• oppressor
• possessor
• processor
• repressor
• successor

Kids Definition

professor

noun

pro·​fes·​sor prə-ˈfes-ər 

: a teacher especially of the highest rank at a college or university

professorial

ˌprō-fə-ˈsōr-ē-əl 

ˌpräf-ə-, 

-ˈsȯr-

adjective

professorially

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb