What does "profile" mean?
The outermost shape, view, or edge of an object.
Profile
/ˈpɹoʊfaɪl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The outermost shape, view, or edge of an object.
- Grammar: profile is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: account, adventure, adventures, analysis.
- Useful contrasts: anonymity, anonymous record, blankness.
- Usage evidence: The paper published a profile of its new editor.
How to use "profile"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "profile" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "profile" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "profile" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "profile" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "profile" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "account" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "profile", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The outermost shape, view, or edge of an object. countable
"His fingers traced the profile of the handle."
- 2 biographical sketch wordnet
- 3 The shape, view, or shadow of a person's head from the side; a side view. countable
"The brooch showed the profile of a Victorian woman."
- 4 an analysis (often in graphical form) representing the extent to which something exhibits various characteristics wordnet
- 5 A summary or collection of information, especially about a person. countable
"Law enforcement assembled a profile of the suspect."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 a vertical section of the Earth's crust showing the different horizons or layers wordnet
- 7 A specific page or field in which users can provide various types of personal information in software or Internet systems. Internet, countable
"I just updated my Facebook profile to show I got engaged."
- 8 an outline of something (especially a human face as seen from one side) wordnet
- 9 Reputation, prominence; noticeability. figuratively, uncountable
"Acting is, by nature, profession in which one must keep a high profile."
- 10 degree of exposure to public notice wordnet
- 11 The amount by which something protrudes. uncountable
"Choose a handle with a low profile so it does not catch on things."
- 12 A smoothed (e.g., troweled or brushed) vertical surface of an excavation showing evidence of at least one feature or diagnostic specimen; the graphic recording of such as by sketching, photographing, etc. countable, uncountable
- 13 Character; totality of related characteristics; signature; status (especially in scientific, technical, or military uses). countable, uncountable
"What's the thermal profile on that thing?"
- 14 A section of any member, made at right angles with its main lines, showing the exact shape of mouldings etc. countable, uncountable
- 15 A drawing exhibiting a vertical section of the ground along a surveyed line, or graded work, as of a railway, showing elevations, depressions, grades, etc. countable, uncountable
- 16 An exemption from certain types of duties due to injury or disability. countable, slang, uncountable
- 17 A user's preferences. countable
"A roaming profile allows your settings to follow you from one computer to another across a network."
Verb
- 1 To create a summary or collection of information about (a person, etc.). transitive
"The book The Men with the Pink Triangles, profiling the lives of gay prisoners in the German concentration camp."
- 2 represent in profile, by drawing or painting wordnet
- 3 To act based on such a summary, especially one that is a stereotype; to engage in profiling.
- 4 write about wordnet
- 5 To draw in profile or outline. transitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To give a definite form by chiselling, milling, etc. transitive
- 7 To measure the performance of various parts of (a program) so as to locate bottlenecks. transitive
"[…] a complete and intuitive profiler that supports numerous types of profiling modes and profilable applications."
Example
"The paper published a profile of its new editor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "profile"?
Common synonyms include: account, adventure, adventures, analysis, annals, assemble.
How do you use "profile" in a sentence?
The paper published a profile of its new editor.
How do you pronounce "profile"?
Pronounced /ˈpɹoʊfaɪl/.
Etymology
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.