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

Kate Crawford, professor at the University of Southern California and co-founder of the AI Now Institute, has emphasized the nature of AI as an extractive and exploitative industry. —Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025

His father, Iranian expat and Queens College English professor Roger Sedarat, watched from the back of the courtroom. —Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 5 Nov. 2025

The research was thrilling and of great interest to archaeologists everywhere, according to Stephen Houston, a professor of anthropology at Brown University in Rhode Island. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025

Mahmood Mamdani, the mayor-elect’s father, is a Columbia University professor and political scientist originally from Uganda who was expelled by dictator Idi Amin. —Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Nov. 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