profile

1 of 2

noun

pro·​file ˈprō-ˌfī(-ə)l 

plural profiles

1

: a representation of something in outline

especially : a human head or face represented or seen in a side view

The first coins featuring King Charles's profile have been issued by the Royal Mint …

—Jessica Knibbs

There were … larger spaces of bare wall ornamented with charcoal sketches, chiefly of people's heads in profile.

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

By the moonlight, Lady Dedlock can be seen in profile, perfectly still.

—Charles Dickens

2

: an outline seen or represented in sharp relief : contour

"The main features of the design have to do with its site in the foothills of very beautiful mountains. The profile is a jagged line of silhouettes behind this building. We felt it was important to not compete with the majestic profile of these mountains," [Audrey] Matlock says.

—Denise Kalette

3

: a side or sectional elevation: such as

a

: a drawing showing a vertical section of the ground

b

: a vertical section of a soil from the ground surface to the underlying unweathered material

4

: a set of data often in graphic form portraying the significant features of something

They will then evaluate the fundamental characteristics of those stocks, such as earnings profiles and valuations. …

—Perle Battistella

especially : a graph representing the extent to which an individual exhibits traits or abilities as determined by tests or ratings

5

a

: a concise biographical sketch

The Vanity Fair feature, a profile of [Amy] Poehler and [Maya] Rudolph, reports that "Wine Country" goes above and beyond that standard, with the film featuring zero straight men talking to each other.

—Kevin Slane

b

: a collection of personal details about oneself that one curates and shares on an online platform (such as a blog or a social media service)

… when Anderson sat down that year to create an online-dating profile, she was strategic.

—Taffy Brodessr-Akner

They have left [their jobs] or are about to go, one into consultancy and a "career break" (according to her Linkedin profile), the other to become a partner at PWC.

—Katherine Griffiths

These short-term gigs fit into the time you have available, and are easy to find: simply go online to one of many sites designed to pair people with projects, and apply for jobs, advertise your skills, or set up a profile and offer your services for tasks that employers have posted.

—Donna Freedman

6

: degree or level of public exposure

Together, they helped bring Nashville's burgeoning noncountry scene to new prominence, and as the city's profile rose, so did their own.

—Dave Paulson

After leaving New York in 1990 all but broken following the failure of his hot spot Rakel, the chef kept a low profile in L.A. before eventually scraping together the money to buy a modest Napa Valley restaurant called The French Laundry.

—Jay Cheshes

7

: a distinctive combination of characteristics

The evolution of the scent profile, from floral and energetic to smoky and calm, makes this cologne a great choice for a date or an evening in the town.

—Will Briskin

What's striking about so many of the Santa Rita Pinots is that they share a flavor profile, with rich, vivid blueberry and wild berry fruit.

—James Laube

profile

2 of 2

verb

profiled; profiling

transitive verb

1

: to represent in profile or by a profile : produce (as by drawing, writing, or graphing) a profile of

2

: to shape the outline of by passing a cutter around

3

: to subject to profiling

profiler noun

Choose the Right Synonym for profile

outline, contour, profile, silhouette mean the line that bounds and gives form to something.

outline applies to a line marking the outer limits or edges of a body or mass.

traced the outline of his hand

contour stresses the quality of an outline or a bounding surface as being smooth, jagged, curving, or sharply angled.

a car with flowing contours

profile suggests a varied and sharply defined outline against a lighter background.

a portrait of her face in profile

silhouette suggests a shape especially of a head or figure with all detail blacked out in shadow leaving only the outline clearly defined.

photograph in silhouette against a bright sky

Examples of profile in a Sentence

Noun

His profile is very unusual.

An image of the President's profile appears on the coin.

I read a profile of her in a magazine.

Verb

The mayor was profiled in the magazine last month.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Genta designed the watch to sit on its side and recreate the profile of the Parthenon in Athens, which is just so Genta. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024

As transgender people remind us each Trans Day of Visibility, sometimes a higher profile means a bigger target. —Lindsay Lee Wallace, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024

But Jones, who lives in London and has a generous smile, wasn’t accustomed to the circus of online dating: maneuvering fake profiles, encountering people who only want to swap photos and never meet. —Jason Parham, WIRED, 22 Apr. 2024

Despite Black Americans being more likely than other racial groups to depend on life insurance to cover their important expenses, it has been found that white families have significantly larger policies than their Black counterparts, even when their financial profiles are similar. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024

Until this past weekend González lacked much of a public profile, with fewer than 8,000 followers in his X account. —Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024

Through variations in recipes and cultural preferences toward an extra pinch of salt or a disdain for dill, fermentation traditions result in distinctive microbial and taste profiles that your culture trains you to identify as good or bad to eat. —Joseph Orkin, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2024

Overwhelmed by dating apps, profiles and not-quite-matches? —Chloé Cooper Jones Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan Zachary Mouton, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024

What to know about Brandy Melville's controversial CEO, Stephan Marsan Little is known about Marsan, who keeps a basically nonexistent profile online. —Cady Lang, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Verb

To suggest future personalities to profile, email [e-mail]. —Kristine M. Kierzek, Journal Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2024

If the courts allow such an infringement, the consequences for immigrants—and Texans of color who could be profiled as immigrants—would be devastating. —TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

IndyStar is profiling each of the Republican candidates. —Evan Frank, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024

The article was noticed by the mainstream press—the Boston Globe profiled the students who wrote it—and also by conservative outlets, a few of which implied that Christian educators were being persecuted. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024

In 2019, the company closed for one day to conduct staff-wide diversity training, months after singer SZA, who is Black, shared on social media that an employee had racially profiled her. —Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024

What are the odds of your resume and profile being the one that stands out from the rest? —Sho Dewan, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Under Senate Bill 571, also known as the Maryland Kids Code, companies would not be allowed to profile children to serve personalized ads, though companies would still be allowed to show ads to children. —Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024

The perpetrators of com's and 764's abuse have for years operated behind the masks of usernames and profile pictures. —Ali Winston, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Italian profilo, from profilare to draw in outline, from pro- forward (from Latin) + filare to spin, from Late Latin — more at file

First Known Use

Noun

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing profile

• high/low profile
• high-profile
• in profile
• kept a low profile

Kids Definition

profile

1 of 2 noun

pro·​file ˈprō-ˌfīl 

1

: a head or face seen or drawn from the side

2

: something seen in outline

3

: a vertical section of soil that shows the various layers

4

: a set of data often in the form of a graph that shows the important characteristics of something

read her psychological profile

5

: level of activity that attracts attention

tried to keep a low profile

profile

2 of 2 verb

profiled; profiling

1

: to represent in profile

2

: to produce a profile of

Medical Definition

profile

1 of 2 noun

pro·​file ˈprō-ˌfīl 

1

: a set of data exhibiting the significant features of something and often obtained by multiple tests

the profile of CK isoenzymes in skeletal muscle

—A. J. Siegel & D. M. Dawson

2

: a graphic representation of the extent to which an individual or group exhibits traits as determined by tests or ratings

this group did not give a homogeneous personality profile

—Diseases of the Nervous System

profile

2 of 2 transitive verb

profiled; profiling

: to represent in profile or by a profile : produce a profile of (as by writing or graphing)