Noun

profession (plural professions)

1. A promise or vow made on entering a religious order.

   She died only a few years after her profession.

   • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society 1985, p. 27:

     Rosario was a young novice belonging to the monastery, who in three months intended to make his profession.

2. A declaration of belief, faith or of one's opinion.

   Despite his continued professions of innocence, the court eventually sentenced him to five years.

3. An occupation in which one has a professed expertise in a particular area; a job, especially one requiring a high level of skill or training.

   My father was a barrister by profession.

4. The practitioners of such an occupation collectively.

   His conduct is against the established practices of the legal profession.

Derived terms

• professional

French

A profession is a vocation founded upon specialised educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain.