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

The latest decision came in two lawsuits brought by professors, students and a student group who argued the law amounted to unconstitutional classroom censorship. — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Shockingly, the letter seems to be pushing for a return to standardized tests by, in effect, arguing that a growing percentage of their students are simply too stupid to succeed, no matter what professors do. — Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

In July 2026, Cenat returned from a long hiatus to announce that class is back in session for a second year with a new line up of professors for accepted students to learn from. — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

The most likely point of failure for load-bearing infrastructure is at the joints which connect components, says Doug Holmes, an engineering professor at Boston University. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 July 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