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

That reality is part of what drives efforts to create memorials and museums, says Amy Sodaro, a sociology professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, who studies them. — Deepti Hajela, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

As part of the probe, a 3D scan of the victim’s skull was made and submitted to a forensic art professor from George Mason University, who then conducted a facial reconstruction to assist in the identification. — David Chiu, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2026

Trump’s tariffs risk the loss of 90,000 Canadian jobs, according to Trevor Tombe, a professor of economics at the University of Calgary. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

In general, when a trade war breaks out, the smaller economy has more to lose compared to the larger one, said Ari Van Assche, a professor of international business at HEC Montréal who specializes in international trade. — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 8 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