a profession

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A type of job that requires special education, training, and often a license, such as medicine, law, or teaching.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a profession', 'two professions'. Use 'the profession' to mean all the people in that job.

   Patterns

   • a profession such as something
   • enter a profession
   • the medical/legal profession

   Nursing is a profession that demands both skill and patience.

   She chose a profession in engineering because she loved solving problems.

   Many people enter a profession after years of study.

2. 2nounsingular

   All the people who work in a particular trained job, considered as a group.

   Grammar: Usually with 'the': 'the medical profession'. It takes a singular verb: 'The profession is changing.'

   Patterns

   • the medical profession
   • the teaching profession
   • members of the profession

   The legal profession has strict rules about client confidentiality.

   The teaching profession is calling for better pay.

   She is highly respected within the profession.

3. 3nouncountableformal

   A statement in which you claim something, often formally or publicly.

   Grammar: Formal. Often used in phrases like 'a profession of faith' or 'a profession of loyalty'.

   Patterns

   • a profession of something
   • make a profession of something

   His profession of innocence convinced no one.

   The ceremony included a profession of faith by the new members.

Word forms

Common combinations

choose a profession

She chose a profession in medicine.

enter a profession

He entered the profession after passing his exams.

the medical profession

The medical profession is facing new challenges.

a profession of faith

The service ended with a profession of faith.

by profession

She is a lawyer by profession.

Synonyms and how they differ

career

A career is the series of jobs you do over your life, not necessarily requiring a license; a profession is a specific trained job like law or medicine.

occupation

Occupation is a formal word for any job; a profession is a more specific, usually higher-status trained job.

vocation

A vocation is a job you feel called to do, often with a strong sense of purpose; a profession may or may not feel like a calling.

Word family

professional adjective

Relating to a profession or showing high standards.

professional noun

A person who works in a profession.

professionally adverb

In a way that relates to a profession or shows skill.

Commonly confused: a profession or job? a profession or occupation?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a profession”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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