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
The father of three has publicly professed his love for being a girl dad on many occasions.
—
Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
The two actors, like much of the world, were isolated in lockdown when Rivera reached out on social media to profess his love of Industry.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026
Those speculations seemed to be confirmed, though never explicitly stated, in Season 4 when Will breaks down trying to profess his feelings toward Mike.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 26 Dec. 2025
Soelberg and the chatbot also professed love for each other.
—Dave Collins, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
The two actors, like much of the world, were isolated in lockdown when Rivera reached out on social media to profess his love of Industry.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Jan. 2026
Those speculations seemed to be confirmed, though never explicitly stated, in Season 4 when Will breaks down trying to profess his feelings toward Mike.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 26 Dec. 2025
Soelberg and the chatbot also professed love for each other.
—Dave Collins, Fortune, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
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Besides its provocative moniker, there’s a reason the app went mega-viral without spending a dime on advertising — and didn’t even have to pretend to be a buzzy new AI product.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
31 Jan. 2026
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Ignoring the Rules of the Road Treat the grocery cart like your car and pretend that every aisle has a stop sign on either end, says frequent shopper and Senior Lifestyle Editor Ivy Odom.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In response to the boy’s death, the council declared a state of emergency and later supported lowering vehicle speed limits on many area roadways.—
Barbara Henry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Newsom declared a state of emergency that day.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Snapp, the drug policy researcher, insists that Mexico’s ban is a setback by removing a safer alternative to cigarettes.—
María Verza,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While diners may assume higher tips are expected at dinner, most servers don't expect a higher percentage, just a higher total, Sheik said.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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In fiscal 2025, Starbucks’ international margins were 13%; assuming the joint venture is formed, the company expects that margins will rise to the high teens, according to Brady Brewer, CEO of Starbucks International.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Minnesota’s Democratic leaders are ultimately to blame for the shooting, these commentators have made sure to assert, but the administration’s talking points have been self-defeating.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
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According to attorney Deborah Stevenson, who representsNHELD, the Office of the Child Advocate refused to release the records, asserting confidentiality.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit filed in San Francisco says internal WhatsApp engineers — deemed whistleblowers — allege that the platform’s internal team can request access to user content to conduct their tasks, bypassing encryption.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Myers says their group plans to sue both Placer County and the project's developers following the vote to approve the project, alleging violations of the California Environmental Quality Act.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These intelligent, virtual replicas allow organizations to simulate outcomes, predict failures, and optimize performance across manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, and transportation.—
Phil Kafarakis,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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The game focuses on every aspect of team building, simulating recruiting visits, the transfer portal, assembling of staffs, all to be rolled out in games which take 30-40 minutes.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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So go ahead and loudly proclaim your love instead of whispering sweet nothings.—
Cailey Rizzo,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Jan. 2026
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Alcaraz proclaimed his name over social media while there was even time for a meeting with Swiss icon Roger Federer, winner of 20 grand slam singles titles during his storied career.—
Patrick Snell,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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