The word "military profile" is sometimes in the news.
For example,
(1) India Monday said it was 'conscious and watchful' of China's growing military profile
and…
(2) NATO to raise military profile around Kosovo.(Headline)
According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, "profile" means:
1. a side view of someone's head
2. a short description that gives important details about a person, a group of people, or a place
3. something that is high profile is noticed by many people or gets a lot of attention
4. to behave quietly and avoid doing things that will make people notice you
5. if a person or an organization raises its profile, it gets more attention from the public
6. an edge or shape of something seen against a background
In this case, "profile" probably refers to the definition of 5. But I am not sure what (1) and (2) mean. Does "military profile" mean "military might", military role", or "military WHAT"? What would you paraphrase this word as?
Best Answer
In this case, the meaning of "profile" is not adequately described by any of the dictionary terms.
The word profile in the first case refers to "military might" and stands for "military presence" in the second example.
In a metaphorical sense, the outline (edge/shape) of the military becomes more visible against the background as it grows (corresponding to the definition no. 6 in the Longman DCE).