DECLARE Synonyms: 169 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'declare' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of declare are announce , proclaim , and promulgate . While all these words mean "to make known publicly," declare implies explicitness and usually formality in making known. // the referee declared the contest a draw

Q: Where would 'announce' be a reasonable alternative to 'declare'?

The meanings of announce and declare largely overlap; however, announce implies the declaration of something for the first time. // announced their engagement at a party

Q: When might 'proclaim' be a better fit than 'declare'?

While the synonyms proclaim and declare are close in meaning, proclaim implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively. // the president proclaimed a national day of mourning

Q: In what contexts can 'promulgate' take the place of 'declare'?

The words promulgate and declare can be used in similar contexts, but promulgate implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law. // promulgated an edict of religious toleration

declare

verb

di-ˈkler

Definition of declare

as in to announce

to make known openly or publicly she chose to declare her presidential aspirations at her college alma mater

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to insist

to state as a fact usually forcefully she would declare her innocence to the whole world if she could

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to assert

to state clearly and strongly our guest enthusiastically declared that the pie was the best he had ever eaten

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to reveal

to make known (something abstract) through outward signs though she was silent, her expression declared her unwillingness to go along with the others

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb declare differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of declare are announce, proclaim, and promulgate. While all these words mean "to make known publicly," declare implies explicitness and usually formality in making known.

the referee declared the contest a draw

Where would announce be a reasonable alternative to declare?

The meanings of announce and declare largely overlap; however, announce implies the declaration of something for the first time.

announced their engagement at a party

When might proclaim be a better fit than declare?

While the synonyms proclaim and declare are close in meaning, proclaim implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively.

the president proclaimed a national day of mourning

In what contexts can promulgate take the place of declare?

The words promulgate and declare can be used in similar contexts, but promulgate implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law.

promulgated an edict of religious toleration

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of declare The society was formed in 1956 with the express objective to save the old Murphy homestead (called Bay View), which was demolished in 1961 to make way for Central Expressway, even though it had been declared an historical landmark just a year prior. — Katharina Woodman, Mercury News, 5 July 2026 Historically these firms declare their raises during the summer months. — Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026 The governor declared a disaster emergency for the wildfire on Monday. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 5 July 2026 So far, the hole has not been declared a crime scene by the police. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for declare

Recent Examples of Synonyms for declare

Verb

Like whether aliens will be announced by the US government, whether a coup attempt will take place in Russia — even whether the earth is flat.

— Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Samsung Confirms Launch Date Of New Galaxy Foldables Samsung has announced its latest Galaxy Unpacked event.

— Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Definition of announce

Verb

Iran insists on retaining control over shipping through the waterway and says vessels should instead use routes through its own territorial waters.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Indeed, Brocka insists on escapist fantasies in a world that otherwise offers no escape, which, in my view, is more hopeful than bleak — and, in turn, allows this kind of gritty sensuality to persist in his ever-enduring, luminous cinema.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026

Definition of insist

Verb

Alternatively, FanDuel could assert the video doesn’t establish a false endorsement or misappropriation.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 July 2026
In a Fox News op-ed published Monday, the hard-line conservative asserted that the upper chamber takes too many recesses and has too short of a workweek.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 13 July 2026

Definition of assert

Verb

Victor Valladares of Resilience OC, a nonprofit that advocates for the Latino community, claimed that the federal government has access to Flock's data.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 July 2026
So the players have to lose every contest once to get to Room 8 and discover how to claim ultimate victory, then win every contest to get back to the beginning and correctly count some rice.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 July 2026

Definition of claim

Verb

The finale ended with Malcolm finally professing his feelings for Lori.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 July 2026
Even Kennedy, who has professed a deep interest in fixing the nation’s patchy addiction-treatment infrastructure, has offered no plan for dealing specifically with the country’s favorite drug.

— Lev Facher, STAT, 30 June 2026

Definition of profess

Verb

Yet the hotel seems to want to be part of the larger Miami Beach community, whether luring locals to stop by for a drink, artists in the area to get their work displayed here, or musicians who just want to chill.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
Using that engine, the Neo Geo code then makes a kind of proto frame buffer out of the console’s fix layer, an area of display memory that’s usually used to display menus and HUD information on top of gameplay.

— Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

Definition of display

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declare

declared

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“Declare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declare. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of declare

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