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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

profile.

The outermost shape, view, or edge of an object.

7 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈpɹəʊ.faɪl/Received-Pronunciation/ˈpɹoʊ.faɪl/Canada, General-American/ˈpɹəʉfɑel/Australia[ˈpɹɐu̯.fɑe̯l]New-Zealand
  1. The outermost shape, view, or edge of an object.

    countable
    His fingers traced the profile of the handle.
  2. 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.
    Driver's licenses have a photograph of the person on them, which is in full face if the person is above legal drinking age, or in profile if not.
  3. A summary or collection of information, especially about a person.

    countable
    Law enforcement assembled a profile of the suspect.
  4. 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.
  5. Reputation, prominence; noticeability.

    figuratively · uncountable
    Acting is, by nature, profession in which one must keep a high profile.
  6. The amount by which something protrudes.

    uncountable
    Choose a handle with a low profile so it does not catch on things.
  7. 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
  8. Character; totality of related characteristics; signature; status (especially in scientific, technical, or military uses).

    countable · uncountable
    What's the thermal profile on that thing?
  9. A section of any member, made at right angles with its main lines, showing the exact shape of mouldings etc.

    countable · uncountable
  10. 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
  11. An exemption from certain types of duties due to injury or disability.

    countable · slang · uncountable
  12. A user's preferences.

    countable
    A roaming profile allows your settings to follow you from one computer to another across a network.
Where this word comes from

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.

verb/ˈpɹəʊ.faɪl/Received-Pronunciation/ˈpɹoʊ.faɪl/Canada, General-American/ˈpɹəʉfɑel/Australia[ˈpɹɐu̯.fɑe̯l]New-Zealand
  1. To create a summary or collection of information about (a person, etc.).

    transitive
  2. To act based on such a summary, especially one that is a stereotype; to engage in profiling.

  3. To draw in profile or outline.

    transitive
  4. To give a definite form by chiselling, milling, etc.

    transitive
  5. To measure the performance of various parts of (a program) so as to locate bottlenecks.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

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.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.