noun
professor
pruh-FEHS-uh
noun
1
The highest academic rank at a university, or, more loosely, any university teacher.
"She was made a full professor of chemistry at thirty-five."
"His professor recommended he apply for the research grant."
2
Someone who openly declares or teaches a belief, skill, or art.
"He was a professor of the old fencing traditions, passing them on to a handful of students."
3
A humorous or mocking title for someone who acts like an expert or is unusually obsessive about a subject.
"His friends jokingly called him "the professor" for his encyclopedic trivia knowledge."
How to Use Professor
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA senior university teacher, or loosely, anyone treated as an authority (sometimes mockingly) on a subject.
UK vs US
In the UK, "professor" is a specific senior title; in the US it is used more loosely for most university teaching staff.
Common pairings
a professor of history
a visiting professor
associate professor
Word Forms
professors plural, Professors plural
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She was made a full _____ of chemistry at thirty-five.
Etymology
From Latin professor, "one who declares or claims knowledge," related to profiteor, "to profess."