proclaim

verb

pro·claim | \prō-ˈklām,

prə-\

proclaimed; proclaiming; proclaims

Definition of proclaim

transitive verb

1a : to declare publicly, typically insistently, proudly, or defiantly and in either speech or writing : announce

b : to give outward indication of : show his manner proclaimed his genteel upbringing

2 : to declare or declare to be solemnly, officially, or formally proclaim an amnesty proclaim the country a republic

3 : to praise or glorify openly or publicly : extol proclaimed the rescue workers' efforts

Other Words from proclaim Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about proclaim

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Choose the Right Synonym for proclaim

declare, announce, proclaim, promulgate mean to make known publicly. declare implies explicitness and usually formality in making known. the referee declared the contest a draw announce implies the declaration of something for the first time. announced their engagement at a party proclaim implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively. the president proclaimed a national day of mourning promulgate implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law. promulgated an edict of religious toleration

Did You Know?

The pro- in proclaim means "forward, out", so a proclamation is an "outward" statement intended for the public. We often think of proclamations as something issued by monarchs or dictators, but Lincoln was able to issue his Emancipation Proclamation because as president he had the power to free the slaves in certain areas. At a slightly lower level, a governor may proclaim a day in honor of the state's firemen, a movie critic may proclaim a director to be the best of all, or you may proclaim your New Year's resolutions to a crowd of friends.

Examples of proclaim in a Sentence

She proclaimed that she will run for governor. The President proclaimed a national day of mourning. He took command of the government and proclaimed himself emperor. The magazine proclaimed him to be the best player in baseball. He proclaimed his love for her in a poem. His behavior proclaimed his good upbringing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Irvin also this week proclaimed Thursday as Flag Day in the city of Aurora — a formality because June 14 has been recognized nationally as Flag Day for many years. — Steve Lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "City recognitions show Aurora's diversity," 13 June 2018 Griffin, who starred for undefeated and self-proclaimed national champion Central Florida, plays - and excels - without a left hand after it was amputated at the age of 4. — Mark Heim, AL.com, "Shaquem Griffin among top 5 in NFL rookie jersey sales," 3 May 2018 These companies can then masquerade as champions of social justice, proclaiming a half-baked message of equality with no financial loss and plenty to gain. — Julianne Tveten, The New Republic, "How corporate America has commodified the protest movements of the Trump era," 4 Apr. 2018 The youngster from East Troy proclaimed his farmhand prowess one recent day of camp at FarmWise Education in Elkhorn. — Anne Schamberg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Farming out the kids: Gathering eggs, milking cows, cooking teach about country life," 3 July 2018 Taywan Taylor: Just a hunch, but let’s proclaim him the first of two face-melting sleepers. — Gary Gramling, SI.com, "David Johnson Is No. 2, Be Patient and Wait for Luck and Mahomes, the Non-Saquon Rookie You Want," 6 July 2018 President Trump once again proclaimed June as National Homeowner's Month, National Ocean Month, African-American Music Appreciation Month, and Great Outdoors Month, but did not acknowledge that June is also LGBTQ+ Pride month. — refinery29.com, "It's Official: President Trump Completely Ignored Pride Month," 29 June 2018 That, along with the willful ignorance of looking a fact square in the face and proclaiming it false, is a tremendous danger. — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, "The Capital Gazette is publishing on Friday. Damn straight it is," 28 June 2018 In 2013, Jadhran proclaimed himself the guardian of Libya’s oil crescent, including the ports of al-Sidr, Ras Lanouf and Brega, which represent about 60 percent of Libya’s oil resources. — Rami Moussa, The Seattle Times, "Libya’s government urges UN to block ‘illegal’ oil sales," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proclaim.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.