profession

noun

pro·​fes·​sion prə-ˈfe-shən 

1

a

: a principal calling, vocation, or employment

b

: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling

c

: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation

2

: an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation

3

: the act of taking the vows of a religious community

4

: an avowed religious faith

Synonyms

• declaration
• assertion
• insistence
• claim

Examples of profession in a Sentence

The doctor talked to students who are thinking about entering the profession.

Most professions in the medical field require years of training.

Their daughter recently became a member of the medical profession.

Recent Examples on the Web

Master’s degrees in computer, information sciences and support services; health professions; and public administration and social services climbed the most between 2011 and 2022, growing 145%, 75% and 20%, respectively. —Fiona Riley, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

In Milwaukee, the teaching pathway can start in high school Another way to recruit for the teaching profession is to consider the non-teachers who are already in schools each day: students and classroom aides. —Rory Linnane, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025

An arrest warrant was issued for the suspect on the following charges: seven counts of practicing a health care profession without a license and seven counts of fraudulent use of personal identification information. —Becca Longmire, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Instead, the chief privilege of her father’s profession was proximity. —Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English professioun, from Anglo-French profession, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin profession-, professio, from Latin, public declaration, from profitēri

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing profession

• oldest profession
• the oldest profession
• the oldest profession in the world
• the world's oldest profession
• world's oldest profession

Rhymes for profession

• accession
• aggression
• compression
• concession
• confession
• depression
• digression
• discretion
• expression
• impression
• obsession
• oppression

Kids Definition

profession

noun

pro·​fes·​sion prə-ˈfesh-ən 

1

: the act of taking the vows of a religious community

2

: a public declaring or claiming (as of a belief, faith, or opinion)

3

a

: an occupation (as medicine, law, or teaching) that requires specialized knowledge and often advanced education

b

: a principal occupation or employment

c

: the people working in a profession

the legal profession

Medical Definition

profession

noun

pro·​fes·​sion prə-ˈfesh-ən 

1

: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation

2

: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling