1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to declare
to state clearly and strongly
the lonely woman professed her love in a series of letters to the soldier
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to insist
to state as a fact usually forcefully
he professed his innocence to anyone who would listen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of profess
Fishback later winkingly professed ignorance about the word.
—
Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
This Valentine’s Day, Ben Smith and Kelly Dennis will profess their love for each other — and New York City — in front of loved ones, strangers and possibly Batman.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026
In this context, improving pay and addressing disparities will be a formidable undertaking for a mayoral administration that professes a commitment to economic justice.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
Quenneville likes the comparison to Perry, professing an affinity for a player who was, for years, an adversarial nuisance.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
This Valentine’s Day, Ben Smith and Kelly Dennis will profess their love for each other — and New York City — in front of loved ones, strangers and possibly Batman.
—Andrea Sachs, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2026
In this context, improving pay and addressing disparities will be a formidable undertaking for a mayoral administration that professes a commitment to economic justice.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
Quenneville likes the comparison to Perry, professing an affinity for a player who was, for years, an adversarial nuisance.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
-
City Hall needs to stop pretending the job is getting done and just do it.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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Scammers are sending emails to residents involved in planning, zoning or land-use applications pretending to be Forest Lake city planning and zoning staff members, the city said Friday.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Bahrain’s national oil company declared force majeure for its shipments after an Iranian attack set its refinery complex ablaze.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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When an advisory is declared, impacted residents should not drink or use the tap water for preparing food or brushing teeth without boiling it first, the public utility said.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Noem insisted to Kennedy that the campaigns were effective.—
Rebecca Santana,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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OpenAI’s head of national-security partnerships insisted that the answer was no.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
José Francisco Pérez Mackenna took the oath as chancellor, while María Trinidad Steinert became the minister of security and Fernando Rabat assumed office as minister of justice and human rights.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
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Shortly afterward, however, Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the constitutional body responsible for selecting the supreme leader — announced that Mojtaba Khamenei would assume leadership of the Islamic Republic.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
What looked like a Plum showcase during the first half gradually turned into a Mist surge as Stewart began asserting herself on both ends of the floor.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
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Macron said France is expending diplomatic capital to ensure a return to calm and to allow for the Lebanese armed forces to assert themselves as Israel pounds Hezbollah positions.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In many cases, the bar alleged, DTLA made no effort to do so and left their out-of-state clients in the lurch.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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In February, for instance, the Department of Justice joined a lawsuit brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District had violated the law by conditioning funding on the basis of student race.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Twentynine Palms is the primary training base for Marines slated for deployment for the Middle East, with its harsh desert climate and mock villages meant to simulate combat conditions overseas.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Students also practice drop-wheel recovery, which simulates what happens when a vehicle's tires drift off the side of the road.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Wherever Lafayette traveled, parades and speeches proclaimed the United States the world’s beacon of liberty.—
Regina E. Mason,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2026
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And while the exact statistics are impossible to determine, several current ghostwriting websites proclaim that over 50% of the books currently on the NY Times non-fiction bestseller list have been ghostwritten, though many agents and ghostwriters assure me that figure is too low.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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