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

These tests were in essay format and written and graded by professors. — Beth Kania-Gosche, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026

The case stemmed from a former University of Arizona professor who sued the school for denying and delaying his records requests. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2026

The roads initially served a military purpose, the professor added. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Da Corte stepped into the role of Hoyt Sherman, Lichtenstein’s college art professor, who employed a spectacularly psychedelic, unusual teaching method that involved a process to train budding artists at Ohio State. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 22 Sep. 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