# profile

/ˈpɹoʊˌfaɪɫ/ (US) · /pɹˈəʊfaɪl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/profile
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. side view

noun · CEFR A2

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

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

- The artist drew her profile, focusing on the shape of her nose and chin.
- The coin features the Queen's profile, a traditional design choice that emphasizes the regal silhouette against the polished metal background.

### 2. biographical summary

noun · CEFR B1

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

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

- The magazine published a profile of the young scientist who won the prize.
- The Sunday supplement featured an in-depth profile of the reclusive architect, exploring the childhood influences that shaped his minimalist style.

### 3. online account

noun · CEFR A2

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

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

- You can change your profile picture by clicking on the settings icon.
- Users are encouraged to complete their professional profile to increase their visibility to recruiters on the platform.

### 4. public noticeability

noun · CEFR B2

how much people notice or talk about someone or something.

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

- The charity kept a low profile while they planned their next big event.
- The scandal significantly raised the politician's profile, though unfortunately for reasons that damaged his standing with the electorate.

### 5. to describe someone

verb · CEFR B1

to write or give a short description of someone.

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

- The newspaper decided to profile the local heroes of the flood.
- In his latest book, the journalist profiles ten whistleblowers who risked their careers to expose corporate corruption.

### 6. to categorize by traits

verb · CEFR B2

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

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

- The police tried to profile the thief to understand where he might strike next.
- Civil rights groups have criticized the tendency of security agencies to profile travelers based on their country of origin rather than specific behavior.

### 7. to analyze performance

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

- The developer had to profile the app to find out why it was crashing.
- After profiling the source code, the engineering team realized that the database queries were the primary cause of the latency issues.

## Examples

- You should update your profile picture on social media.
- The HR manager reviewed the candidate's professional profile to see if their skills matched the job requirements.
- While the magazine usually features long interviews, this month it published a brief profile of the architect, focusing on her early influences and recent sustainable projects.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.