proclaim

verb

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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 According to Enquirer media partner Fox19, Heath took to social media after the shooting to proclaim her innocence. — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati.com, "Murder charge dropped in Avondale woman's death," 30 Jan. 2020 Pundits proclaimed that McConnell had beaten Pelosi in their personal power struggle. — Joel Mathis, TheWeek, "John Bolton just vindicated Nancy Pelosi," 28 Jan. 2020 Baker proclaimed at a Dec. 17 press conference that he was framed in the Knox County slaying by state troopers. — Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky attorney general asks FBI to investigate Matt Bevin's pardons," 2 Jan. 2020 The effect, in many cases, was to transform these ephemeral tomes into pennants in paper, badges to proclaim one’s allegiance. — Ron Charles, Washington Post, "11 trends that changed the way we read this decade," 24 Dec. 2019 Reinforcing the message, his parents went out of their way on family trips to pass through Metropolis, Illinois, which proclaims itself to be Superman’s hometown, and pay their respects at the Man of Steel’s bronze statue. — Renee Dudley, ProPublica, "The Ransomware Superhero of Normal, Illinois," 28 Oct. 2019 Swearingen has proclaimed his innocence, even in his death. — Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, "If Harris County is death penalty capital, how do Houston’s surrounding counties stack up?," 5 Sep. 2019 The answer included praise for Musk but also proclaimed plans for another U.S. Gigafactory that’s a surprise to us and possibly Tesla. — Roberto Baldwin, Car and Driver, "Trump Claims Tesla's Building a Huge New U.S. Factory Because It Has to," 22 Jan. 2020 Ward basically declared war on AAU basketball and proclaimed the recruiting calendar is backwards. — Mick Mccabe, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit King boys disproving the value of AAU basketball by ... winning," 19 Jan. 2020

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.