proclaim

verb pro·claim \ prō-ˈklām , prə- \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of proclaim

transitive verb

1 a : 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

—

proclaimer

noun

See proclaim defined for English-language learners

See proclaim defined for kids

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 of proclaim from the Web

Instead, Hocking honored Williams by proclaiming March 8 as Evoni 'Nini' Williams Day.

— natalie johnson, CNN, "A waitress takes time to cut elderly diner's ham. Kind act wins her a college scholarship," 13 Apr. 2018
During an interview Wednesday on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel with host Adam Schein, Cardinals running back David Johnson boldly proclaimed that Arizona will have the top offense in the NFL during the 2018 season.

— bob mcmanaman, azcentral, "David Johnson boldly predicts Arizona Cardinals will have NFL's top offense this year," 11 Apr. 2018
Recode/Alex Ulreich For several years, The RealReal’s CEO Julie Wainwright has proclaimed that her company’s next round of private financing would be its last before an eventual IPO — only to then go ahead and secure a new investment.

— jason del rey, Recode, "The RealReal — the fashion site that sells secondhand Gucci and Louis Vuitton — wants to raise a new $100 million investment," 11 Apr. 2018
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has again butted heads with the Trump administration by proclaiming that the poison attack on a Russian dissident in Britain clearly appeared to be the work of Moscow.

— chris megerian, latimes.com, "Tillerson has confidence in British investigation linking Russia to poisoning of ex-spy," 13 Mar. 2018
Despite proclaiming his innocence and vowing to be vindicated, Shkreli was convicted in August of defrauding investors in two hedge funds with his lies and the Retrophin share scam.

— jaclyn gallucci, Fortune, "How Martin Shkreli Went From Pharma Executive to Inmate #87850-053," 8 Mar. 2018
Zuma proclaimed his innocence and prosecutors dropped charges against him.

— Bloomberg.com, "Zuma’s Exit Ends ‘One-Man Disaster’ That Roiled His Nation," 14 Feb. 2018
Channel NewsAsia, the news agency that proclaimed him the Singing Soundchecker, reported the clip had been shown in the U.S., South Korea, Germany and Brazil.

— will higgins, Indianapolis Star, "'The Singing Soundchecker' guy from Fishers strikes again at the Olympics," 12 Feb. 2018
Alexander, who spent decades proclaiming his innocence, was welcomed home Tuesday by his 82-year-old mother, his son and his grandson - both named Malcolm, and other relatives.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "Exonerated after almost 38 years, man reunited with dog he raised at Angola," 3 Feb. 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.

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.

Origin and Etymology of proclaim

Middle English proclamen, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French proclamer, from Latin proclamare, from pro- before + clamare to cry out — more at pro-, claim

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

proclaim Synonyms

Phrases

beat the drum (for or about), run with;

Synonym Discussion of 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

PROCLAIM Defined for English Language Learners

proclaim

verb

Definition of proclaim for English Language Learners

: to say or state (something) in a public, official, or definite way : to declare or announce (something)
: to show (something) clearly

PROCLAIM Defined for Kids

proclaim

verb pro·claim \ prō-ˈklām \

Definition of proclaim for Students

proclaimed; proclaiming

: to announce publicly : declare

The president proclaimed a holiday.

Word Root of proclaim

The Latin word clamāre, meaning “to shout” or “to cry out,” gives us the root clam and its form claim. Words from the Latin clamāre have something to do with shouting. To exclaim is to cry out in a sudden or emotional way. To proclaim is to announce or shout something publicly. Clamor is noisy shouting.