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

John Feerick, the eighty-nine-year-old law professor who, in 1964, wrote the bulk of the Twenty-fifth Amendment, is used to people asking him questions about the niceties of replacing a sitting President. —Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

The effect such a ballot measure could have on voter turnout is also a consideration, said Connie Mixon, a political science professor at Elmhurst University. —Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026

Ballou is a music professor at Towson University and the division leader of the Jazz and Commercial Studies program at Towson. —Tracy Trobridge, Baltimore Sun, 3 May 2026

Unions tend to bargain with employers on scheduling practices and protect workers from the economic fallout, said Virginia Goellgast, a professor at Cornell University that has studied unionized call centers. —Huo Jingnan, NPR, 3 May 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