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

Other notable cast members include John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Paapa Essiedu as enigmatic potions professor Severus Snape; and Lox Pratt as Hogwarts bully Draco Malfoy. —EW.com, 15 July 2025

Other Caltech professors on the Mariner Mars team were Robert Sharp and Gerry Neugebauer, professors of geology, and Robert Leighton and Victor Neher, both professors of physics. —Rod Pyle, Space.com, 14 July 2025

Soon, professors were asking her boyfriend about his dinner plans. —Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025

Consumer tomato prices could rise by about 10% and demand may fall by 5% as a result of these tariffs, according to Timothy Richards, a professor of agribusiness at Arizona State University. —Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 13 July 2025

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