profession

noun

pro·​fes·​sion prə-ˈfe-shən How to pronounce profession (audio)
1
a
: a principal calling, vocation, or employment
b
: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling
c
: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation
2
: an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation
3
: the act of taking the vows of a religious community
4
: an avowed religious faith

Examples of profession in a Sentence

The doctor talked to students who are thinking about entering the profession. Most professions in the medical field require years of training. Their daughter recently became a member of the medical profession.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Wednesday's outage served as a reminder that as dependency on AI grows, even minor service disruptions can become major events that affect an entire profession. ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2025 Data professions feel compelled to stick with the traditional technical metrics that exercise and demonstrate their expertise. Eric Siegel, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 Art was tolerated as a pastime, not a profession. Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025 To wit, Andrea Tarella has succeeded in transforming his passion for drawing into a profession, working with brands ranging from Prada and Gucci to Valentino. Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for profession

Word History

Etymology

Middle English professioun, from Anglo-French profession, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin profession-, professio, from Latin, public declaration, from profitēri

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of profession was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Profession.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profession. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

profession

noun
pro·​fes·​sion prə-ˈfesh-ən How to pronounce profession (audio)
1
: the act of taking the vows of a religious community
2
: a public declaring or claiming (as of a belief, faith, or opinion)
3
a
: an occupation (as medicine, law, or teaching) that requires specialized knowledge and often advanced education
b
: a principal occupation or employment
c
: the people working in a profession
the legal profession

Medical Definition

profession

noun
pro·​fes·​sion prə-ˈfesh-ən How to pronounce profession (audio)
1
: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation
2
: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling

More from Merriam-Webster on profession

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