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profile

n. · v.
US //ˈpɹoʊˌfaɪɫ// UK //pɹˈəʊfaɪl// pro·file
  1. 1 side view (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    the view of someone's face or an object from the side.

    the outline or side view of a person's head or an object.

    Example

    The artist drew her profile, focusing on the shape of her nose and chin.

    Example

    The coin features the Queen's profile, a traditional design choice that emphasizes the regal silhouette against the polished metal background.
  2. 2 biographical summary (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a short description of someone's life, work, or character.

    a biographical sketch or summary providing essential details about a person's character or career.

    Example

    The magazine published a profile of the young scientist who won the prize.

    Example

    The Sunday supplement featured an in-depth profile of the reclusive architect, exploring the childhood influences that shaped his minimalist style.
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  1. 3 online account (n.)
    A2 Elementary Computing

    the page on a website or app where you put your personal information.

    a digital representation of a user in a software system or social network, typically containing personal data and preferences.

    Example

    You can change your profile picture by clicking on the settings icon.

    Example

    Users are encouraged to complete their professional profile to increase their visibility to recruiters on the platform.
  2. 4 public noticeability (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    how much people notice or talk about someone or something.

    the degree to which a person or organization attracts public notice or reputation.

    Example

    The charity kept a low profile while they planned their next big event.

    Example

    The scandal significantly raised the politician's profile, though unfortunately for reasons that damaged his standing with the electorate.
  3. 5 to describe someone (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to write or give a short description of someone.

    to produce a biographical or character summary of an individual or group.

    Example

    The newspaper decided to profile the local heroes of the flood.

    Example

    In his latest book, the journalist profiles ten whistleblowers who risked their careers to expose corporate corruption.
  4. 6 to categorize by traits (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to use information about someone to guess what they might do, often based on their background.

    to analyze a person's psychological or behavioral tendencies, often to predict future actions or identify a suspect.

    Example

    The police tried to profile the thief to understand where he might strike next.

    Example

    Civil rights groups have criticized the tendency of security agencies to profile travelers based on their country of origin rather than specific behavior.
  5. 7 to analyze performance (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    to test a computer program to see which parts are slow.

    to conduct a formal analysis of a software application's resource usage to identify performance bottlenecks.

    Example

    The developer had to profile the app to find out why it was crashing.

    Example

    After profiling the source code, the engineering team realized that the database queries were the primary cause of the latency issues.
Origin

From French profil, from Italian profilo (“a border”), later also proffilo (“a side-face, profile”), from Latin pro (“before”) + filo (“a line, stroke, thread”), from filum (“a thread”); see file. Doublet of purfle.

Idioms1 entry

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