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

Howard Yu, a professor at IMD Business School, credits prominence of Europe’s finance sector to the global reach of its biggest banks and their technical sophistication. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2026

Still, University of California, Los Angeles, professor Suzanne Paulson cautions against overoptimism. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026

Thad Kousser, a political science professor at the University of California-San Diego, noted that because Regan wasn’t a household name, the allegations were unlikely to register with voters. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2026

In her book Politics without Politicians, Hélène Landemore, a professor of political science at Yale, makes the case for a political system entirely made of a rotating cast of citizens. — Esther King, The Dial, 15 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