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

Sanctuary policies decrease deportations by about a third and have no appreciable effect on crime, according to a 2020 study by David Hausman, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Apr. 2025

After all, every hour a professor spends on patenting is an hour not spent writing grant proposals. —Joshua M. Pearce, The Conversation, 23 Apr. 2025

Lucinda Grande, a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, has trialed using ketamine, a dissociative drug, to ease symptoms while her patients transition from fentanyl to buprenorphine. —Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 23 Apr. 2025

Ren Ng, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, co-authored the study and participated in the experiment along with two of his colleagues. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2025

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