Definition of profession noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

profession

noun

/prəˈfeʃn/

[countable] a type of job that needs special training or skill, especially one that needs a high level of education
- the medical/legal/teaching profession
- to enter/go into/join a profession
- (British English) the caring professions (= that involve looking after people)
- She was at the very top of her profession.
- senior members of the profession
- by profession He was a lawyer by profession.
Synonyms work
workemployment ▪ career ▪ profession ▪ occupation ▪ tradeThese are all words for the jobs that somebody does in return for payment, especially over a long period of time.
work the job that somebody does, especially in order to earn money:
It’s very difficult to find work at the moment.
employment (rather formal) work, especially when it is done to earn money; the state of being employed or the situation in which people have work:
Only half the people here are in paid employment.
career the job or series of jobs that somebody has in a particular area of work, usually involving more responsibility as time passes:
He had a very distinguished career in the Foreign Office.
profession a type of job that needs special training or skill, especially one that needs a high level of education:
He hopes to enter the medical profession.
The profession is all the people who work in a particular profession: the legal profession. The professions are the traditional jobs that need a high level of education and training, such as being a doctor or lawyer.occupation (rather formal) a job or profession:
Please state your name, age, and occupation.
trade a job, especially one that involves working with your hands and requires special training and skills:
Carpentry is a highly skilled trade.
Patterns
- in/out of work/employment
- (a) full-time/part-time work/employment/career/occupation
- permanent/temporary work/employment
- (a) well-paid work/employment/profession/occupation
- (a) low-paid work/employment/occupation
- to look for/seek/find work/employment/a career/an occupation
- to get/obtain/give somebody/offer somebody/create/generate/provide work/employment
Collocations Jobs
JobsGetting a job
- look for work
- look for/apply for/go for a job
- get/pick up/complete/fill out/ (British English) fill in an application (form)
- send/email your (British English) CV/(North American English) résumé/application/application form/covering letter
- be called for/have/attend an interview
- offer somebody a job/work/employment/promotion
- find/get/land a job
- employ/ (especially North American English) hire/recruit/ (especially British English) take on staff/workers/trainees
- recruit/appoint a manager
Doing a job
- arrive at/get to/leave work/the office/the factory
- start/finish work/your shift
- do/put in/work overtime
- have/gain/get/lack/need experience/qualifications
- do/get/have/receive training
- learn/pick up/improve/develop (your) skills
- cope with/manage/share/spread the workload
- improve your/achieve a better work-life balance
- have (no) job satisfaction/job security
Building a career
- have a job/work/a career/a vocation
- find/follow/pursue/ (especially North American English) live (out) your vocation
- enter/go into/join a profession
- choose/embark on/start/begin/pursue a career
- change jobs/profession/career
- be/ (both especially British English) work/go freelance
- do/take on temp work/freelance work
- do/be engaged in/be involved in voluntary work
Leaving your job
- leave/ (especially North American English) quit/resign from your job
- give up work/your job/your career
- hand in your notice/resignation
- plan to/be due to retire in June/next year, etc.
- take early retirement
Extra Examples
- It's time to change your profession for something more exciting.
- He entered the legal profession after college.
- What made you choose this profession?
- We are members of an old and noble profession.
- She was shocked at her daughter's choice of profession.
- a job where people can learn the profession
- the primary reason why nurses leave the profession
- I joined the profession when I was in my early twenties.
- He's making an impact in his chosen profession.
Topics Jobsb1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- chosen
- noble
- caring
- …
verb + profession
- practise/practice
- enter
- go into
- …
preposition
- by profession
- in a/somebody’s/the profession
phrases
- a choice of profession
- the top of somebody’s profession
- the oldest profession
- …
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the profession
[singular + singular or plural verb] all the people who work in a particular type of profession
- The legal profession has/have always resisted change.
- the licensing laws that regulate the profession
the professions
[plural] the traditional jobs that need a high level of education and training, such as being a doctor or a lawyer
- employment in industry and the professions
[countable] profession of something a statement about what you believe, feel or think about something, that is sometimes made publicly synonym declaration
- a profession of faith
- His professions of love did not seem sincere.

Word OriginMiddle English (denoting the vow made on entering a religious order): via Old French from Latin professio(n-), from profiteri ‘declare publicly’, from pro- ‘before’ + fateri ‘confess’. Senses (1) and (2) derive from the notion of an occupation that one “professes” to be skilled in.

See profession in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee profession in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

Check pronunciation: profession

Nearby words

trait

noun

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