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

The concept of intersectionality, introduced by the law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, reveals the particularly acute harms inflicted on groups that are at the intersection of multiple oppressions. —Literary Hub, 30 Jan. 2026

Fortune recently spoke with Brian Galle, a UC Berkeley professor, leading wealth tax expert, and one of the designers of the billionaires tax ballot proposal. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026

At Davidson, each professor can set their own approach to AI in the classroom, but that can be confusing. —Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026

Lori Andrews is a professor emerita at Chicago-Kent College of Law and director of its Institute for Science, Law, and Technology. —Lori Andrews, Mercury News, 29 Jan. 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