professor

noun

pro·​fes·​sor prə-ˈfe-sər How to pronounce professor (audio)
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 noun

Examples of professor in a Sentence

Professor Williams will be teaching the class.
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.
As a professor, Varner identifies with Hammon’s teaching ability. Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025 This is troubling to experts like Niobe Way, PhD, a professor of developmental psychology at New York University who has conducted research on the social-emotional development of adolescents for almost 40 years. Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 8 Oct. 2025 Antonio Gómez-Expósito, electrical engineering professor at University of Seville, says the outage shows that Spain needs more regulations around controlling voltage. Julia Simon, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025 What’s more, extensive research from Becca Levy, PhD, a professor of the psychology of aging at Yale University, has found that positive perceptions of aging correlate to another seven and a half years of life. Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for professor

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of professor was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Professor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professor. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

professor

noun
pro·​fes·​sor prə-ˈfes-ər How to pronounce professor (audio)
: a teacher especially of the highest rank at a college or university
professorial
ˌprō-fə-ˈsōr-ē-əl How to pronounce professor (audio)
ˌpräf-ə-
-ˈsȯr-
adjective
professorially adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on professor

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