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

During a presentation on the new graduation rates data at the Board of Regents meeting last week, Regent Jose Hernandez drew attention to the contradictory nature of the data and what STEM professors were saying in public comment on the issue. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026

Nima Aghaeepour, a Stanford professor and the company’s cofounder, draws the line at consequences. — Terdawn Deboe, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

The city’s income inequality has also widened, and for Jean-François Lejeune, a professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture, the new crop of luxury buildings has become a potent symbol of that growing disparity. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

Stiller steps into the role of divorced writing professor Gus Adler, who begins to fall for a mysterious woman named Stella West (Chastain). — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 21 July 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