Definition

1. Noun:
   • The sport of American football played by athletes who receive payment for their participation: This term specifically refers to the organized, competitive version of American football where the players are compensated as their primary occupation. It distinguishes the sport from amateur or collegiate levels.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • He dreams of a career in professional football. (This indicates the aspiration to play the sport as a paid occupation.)
  • The rules in professional football are slightly different from the college game. (This contrasts the paid, top-level sport with its amateur counterpart.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "professional football" itself functions as a compound noun. In advanced contexts, it can be used metonymically to refer to the entire industry, culture, or business ecosystem surrounding the sport.
  • The economics of professional football are incredibly complex. (Here, the term refers to the business and financial structures of the paid sport.)

Variants and Related Words

• Pro football (n): A common abbreviated form of "professional football."
  • He only watches pro football on Sundays.
• Professional footballer (n): A person who plays professional football. (Note: This is a related term, not the target phrase itself).
• NFL (National Football League) (n): The primary organization for professional football in the United States.

Synonyms

• Pro football: The direct abbreviated synonym.
• Paid football: A literal synonym, though less commonly used.

Related Phrases

• To turn professional: A phrasal verb meaning to begin playing a sport for pay.
  • After a stellar college career, she decided to turn professional. (While related, this phrase uses "professional" as part of a verb phrase, not the compound noun "professional football".)

Related Idioms

• "It's not exactly professional football": An idiom used to criticize the poor quality or amateurish nature of an activity by comparing it unfavorably to the high standard of the paid sport.
  • The way they handled that project was a mess—it wasn't exactly professional football.

Noun

1. football played for pay