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

McCann is a professor of law and associate dean at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 June 2025

Daniel Eisenberg is a professor of health policy and management at UCLA and obtained a doctoral degree in economics from Stanford University. —Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

It is called Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee, said Jamie Ellis, a professor of honey bee research at the University of Florida. —Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 23 June 2025

Jen Karlin, a professor of family and community medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, became interested in the disagreement. —Liana Simstrom, NPR, 22 June 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