profess

verb

prə-ˈfes How to pronounce profess (audio)
Definition of professnext
1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

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 profess This is not the first time that the trio of Boy Meets World alums have professed their frustrations with the reboot show since beginning their rewatch. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2026 Millions of votes are not yet cast, and anyone professing to know exactly what's going to happen is lying. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 But Israeli commentators also professed shock, if not surprise, Sunday at how closely aligned the journalist and spin doctor appeared to be. — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson was one of several Commanders to enjoy a proper English tea time, while QB1 Jayden Daniels professed his support for Chelsea. — Elise Devlin, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
  1. pretend
  2. declare
  3. insist
  4. assume
  5. assert
  6. allege
  7. simulate
  8. proclaim
Verb
  • The shooting prompted national media coverage, with news outlets in Georgia describing Brayden as an outgoing child and a fan of Spider-Man who loved playing as the superhero by pretending to shoot webs and jump around.
    — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Honor isn't pretending that the Magic 9 can go toe-to-toe with Hollywood-grade camera rigs.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of pretend
Verb
  • After encountering precipitation and requesting to climb, the pilot declared an emergency as the aircraft began losing altitude at an alarming rate.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Robertson declared during a Saturday evening news conference after winning World Bass Enterprises' inaugural The Champions tournament on Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of declare
Verb
  • Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined around 20 other countries and the European Commission in a declaration insisting that AI remain under human control.
    — Stephen Pitt-Walker, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • While the case settled, Fairey had insisted his artistic transformation of an Associated Press photograph constituted fair use.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of insist
Verb
  • One where experiential equity is built in from the beginning, where disabled fans are assumed to be an integral part of the audience, and where live music becomes more expansive.
    — Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Instead of assuming that alien civilizations must communicate through elaborate messages, scientists could first look for signals whose patterns appear deliberately different from their natural surroundings.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of assume
Verb
  • Black asserts that the statements made by Garcia are false and that traveling to appear on national television to make such statements about the inquiry into Epstein’s crimes goes beyond the purview of a member of Congress.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Those statements were false and were made maliciously, Black asserts through his lawyers.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of assert
Verb
  • The lawsuit alleged that the facility violated the state's minimum wage and forced labor laws by paying detainees $1 a day to work at the facility, sometimes under threat of solitary confinement.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • OpenAI faces several lawsuits from state AGs and plaintiff attorneys, taking cues from the social media suits in alleging that the design of ChatGPT can pose risks to children.
    — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of allege
Verb
  • Part of the research assignment was to figure out how to more efficiently extract carbon from deep seawater and add it to the shallow water near the coral to simulate rising ocean acidity.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Some examples include importing a long spreadsheet of customer records, simulating how an accounting batch will affect the general ledger before posting it or previewing the impact of a transaction on a project budget.
    — Steve Cangiano, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of simulate
Verb
  • Wendy has decided, in true Catholic fashion, that she will be redeemed by loudly proclaiming her suffering.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2026
  • President Andrew Jackson refused to proclaim one, citing the separation of church and state, so states and churches held their own.
    — Jim Downs, STAT, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of proclaim

Browse Nearby Words

profanity
profess
professed
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Cite this Entry

“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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