English Reference
Noun

professorship

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US /pɹəˈfɛsɝˌʃɪp/ UK /pɹəfˈɛsəʃˌɪp/ pro·fes·sor·ship UK spelling professorships Education

n.the position or title of a professor at a university. It can also mean the time you spend in that role.

n.the office, title, or tenure of a professor; the period of time during which someone holds such a position.


SIMPLE

She was awarded a professorship in history.

CONTEXTUAL

After twenty years of teaching, he was finally granted a full professorship at the university.

COMPLEX

The university established a new professorship in environmental science to attract leading researchers and fund innovative fieldwork across the globe.

In 2023, at age 38, he had been appointed to a professorship in sociology of education at the University of Cambridge, becoming the youngest Black professor in the institution’s 800-year history.

The Conversation· 21 Aug 2026

Yet almost as soon as he began his professorship at Cambridge’s Jesus College, the whispers began.

The Guardian· 7 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated