Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

professor

American  
[pruh-fes-er] / prəˈfɛs ər /

noun

  1. a teacher of the highest academic rank in a college or university, who has been awarded the title Professor in a particular branch of learning; a full professor.

    a professor of Spanish literature.

  2. any teacher who has the rank of professor, associate professor, or assistant professor.

  3. a teacher.

  4. an instructor in some art or skilled sport.

    a professor of singing; a professor of boxing.

  5. a person who professes or declares particular sentiments, beliefs, etc.


professor British  
/ prəˈfɛsə, ˌprɒfɪˈsɔːrɪəl /

noun

  1. the principal lecturer or teacher in a field of learning at a university or college; a holder of a university chair

  2. any teacher in a university or college See also associate professor assistant professor full professor

  3. a person who claims skill and instructs others in some sport, occupation, etc

  4. a person who professes his opinions, beliefs, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonprofessorial adjective
  • nonprofessorially adverb
  • professorial adjective
  • professorialism noun
  • professorially adverb
  • pseudoprofessorial adjective
  • subprofessor noun
  • unprofessorial adjective
  • unprofessorially adverb

Etymology

Origin of professor

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English from Medieval Latin prōfessor “one who has taken the vows of a religious order,” Latin: “a public lecturer,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + -fet-, combining form of fatērī “to acknowledge, declare” + -tor -tor, with tt becoming ss

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world, with about 85% of adults in the U.S. using it regularly," said Sabandal, research assistant professor in UTEP's Department of Biological Sciences.

From Science Daily

Lincoln — along with Martha Kenney, a professor in the university’s Department of Women and Gender Studies — are behind the petition asking CSU to “invest in humans” and “reject Silicon Valley’s AI hype.”

From Los Angeles Times

Khera, who was not involved in the research, is a professor of medicine, clinical chief of cardiology, and director of preventive cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

From Science Daily

Steven Schwinn, a law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, said the court is likely to reject the challenge to birthright citizenship.

From Barron's

Families are planning in a far less predictable environment than earlier generations did, said Susan Wachter, a professor of real estate and finance at the Wharton School.

From The Wall Street Journal