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

Roopika Risam is a professor of digital humanities and social engagement at Dartmouth. — Big Think, 4 Aug. 2026

Hewing to that kind of strict standard doesn’t make sense, said Gabriel Filippelli, an Indiana University earth sciences professor and longtime lead researcher. — Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 4 Aug. 2026

Nando Sigona, a professor at the University of Birmingham, said that Meloni detested a move Sánchez presided over in July to grant legal status to about 1 million longtime residents, and is eager to portray his approach as a failure. — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026

But the outcome of this work doesn’t explain the blanks being raised at present, argued Jeremy Siegel, emeritus professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Aug. 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