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

Cuban schools lack teachers A widespread lack of professors prompted the government to send more than 3,000 teachers from Cuba’s eastern provinces to schools in Havana as teacher coverage fell to 73% across the island. — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

If the jury returns a second time and says they are still deadlocked, Sullivan may issue what’s called a Tuey-Rodriguez instruction, according to Daniel Medwed, a professor of law and criminal justice at Northeastern University. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Brandon Marshall is a professor of epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, and director of the People, Place, and Health Collective at Brown. — Abdullah Shihipar, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026

Sharing the bill was David Rothenberg, a professor and a jazz musician who has improvised with collaborators including leafhoppers and humpback whales. — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 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