proclamation

noun

proc·​la·​ma·​tion ˌprä-klə-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the action of proclaiming : the state of being proclaimed

2

: something proclaimed

specifically : an official formal public announcement

Examples of proclamation in a Sentence

the proclamation of martial law

The President issued a proclamation which freed the slaves.

Recent Examples on the Web

Earlier this month, SCOTUS lifted an injunction that barred deportations under the AEA and ruled that any person the administration sought to deport under the proclamation must be given due process. —Laura Romero, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2025

On April 17, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation opening the waters of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument to U.S. commercial fishing. —Kelli Bender, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025

And that was his emancipation proclamation, which promised freedom to anybody who was owned by a patriot who was willing to fight for the king. —Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025

On March 14th, the President signed a proclamation to use the Alien Enemies Act—an eighteenth-century law invoked only three times before in U.S. history—as the basis for deporting Venezuelans to a mega-prison in El Salvador. —Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English proclamacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin proclamation-, proclamatio, from proclamare

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for proclamation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

proclamation

noun

proc·​la·​ma·​tion ˌpräk-lə-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the act of proclaiming

2

: something proclaimed

Legal Definition

proclamation

noun

proc·​la·​ma·​tion ˌprä-klə-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the act of proclaiming

2

: something proclaimed

specifically : an official formal public announcement (as a public notice, edict, or decree) compare declaration, executive order