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

She was fired in part for trying to unionize the professors there according to Kaizen. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

The Star-Telegram spoke with Jenny Carroll, a professor of law and criminal law expert at Texas A&M University, to help explain what schools are required to do and where ICE’s authority stops. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026

Peter Godfrey-Smith, professor of history and philosophy of science at the University of Sydney, explores the evolutionary roots of consciousness by tracing how felt experience may have emerged across different animal lineages. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026

The research team, comprising Wharton professor Eric Bradlow and Accenture’s James Crowley, Ken Munie, and Selen Karaca-Griffin, found the labor market is operating in a state of structural imbalance. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 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