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professional noun

Click to hear the UK pronunciation of this wordClick to hear the US pronunciation of this word/prəˈfeʃ.ən.əl/ n [C]

Definition

a person who has the type of job that needs a high level of education and training
health professionals
Compare: amateur
informal someone who has worked hard in the same type of job for a long time and has become skilled at dealing with any problem that might happen
I thought the whole meeting was going to fall apart but you rescued it like a true professional!
the consummate professional
a person who does a job that people usually do as a hobby
He's only been playing football as a professional for two years.
a sportsperson, especially a golf or tennis player, who is employed by a club to train its members in a particular sport

(Definition of professional noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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