profession

noun pro·fes·sion \ prə-ˈfe-shən \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of profession

1 : the act of taking the vows of a religious community

2 : an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation

3 : an avowed religious faith

4 a : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation

b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment

c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling

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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 of profession from the Web

Women have more than made their mark in this profession and there should be no more divisions of attention, labor, or rewards in the field of journalism.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "How I Get It Done: CNN International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour," 10 Apr. 2018
Such opinions weren’t confined to colonial officials and imperial ideologues and were often shared by various representatives of the scientific profession.

— rohan deb roy, Smithsonian, "Science Still Bears the Fingerprints of Colonialism," 10 Apr. 2018
One is the county’s prosecutor: the insider, establishment candidate with nearly three decades of experience who has risen through the ranks to the top of her profession, making changes to the DA’s office along the way.

— michael smolens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Contrasting styles, messages give voters clear choice in DA race," 8 Apr. 2018
These are skills that aren’t developed merely by going to law school or by being a member of the profession.

— shannon pettypiece, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Legal Team Departure Opens Gaps in Mueller Probe Defense," 4 Apr. 2018
There was a massive shakeout in this profession in 2008.

— r. daniel foster, latimes.com, "Reality Realty: 'This Old House' earns its 'classic' status from solid construction," 30 Mar. 2018
On Tuesday, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office unsealed an indictment against the man, Kenneth Moore, charging him with crimes that included larceny, fraud, forgery and the unauthorized practice of a profession.

— alan feuer, New York Times, "Swindler Exploits the ‘Hope of Inmates,’ Prosecutor Says," 13 Mar. 2018
Flem, for one, marvels at her fortune in having landed in this profession.

— Cincinnati.com, "The Best Job Ever? Why Hospice Employees Love Their Jobs," 5 Mar. 2018
In 1996, Rupert Murdoch launched Fox News, which became the first partisan national television news network, forever altering the norms and underlying values of the profession.

— lee drutman, New Republic, "Learning to Trust Again," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'profession.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of profession

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

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First Known Use: 13th century

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