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

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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

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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 New York governor signed two bills this morning barring companies from offering some AI chatbot features to users under 18—like pretending to be a real person or to have human emotions, or people-pleasing as a way to keep users engaged.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Everyone is pretending all the time, no one can ever be themselves, and so each of us, in our own way, is sealed inside something that doesn’t exist and that, deep down, makes no apparent sense whatsoever.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 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
  • The character cheerfully insisted that Scotch whisky, the Garden of Eden, and most other worthwhile inventions had originated in his homeland.
    — Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Although Nvidia has insisted the RTX 5090 hasn’t been discontinued, the product has been harder to find at retailers.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 30 Oct. 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
  • The others asserted vested development rights and reliance on county representations, leaving only the comprehensive plan challenge, which asserted that commissioners wrongly rejected housing that complied with the county’s growth policies.
    — Sarah Kinbar, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Then in June, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a memo asserting that Section 504 and the ADA don’t actually mandate that states support disabled people to remain integrated in their communities.
    — Rebekah Taussig, Time, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of assert
Verb
  • Walter also is a defendant in multiple civil lawsuits filed by investors alleging fraud and breach of contract.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The Justice Department this month received a federal judge's permission to intervene in the case, alleging that the city’s actions violate the Equal Protection Cause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Fair Housing Act.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of allege
Verb
  • The video garnered plenty of attention on social media as some who watched on television believed Jacobs was simulating getting handcuffed.
    — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Herbert also worked on his footwork and simulated throws with a green water ball instead of throwing.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of simulate
Verb
  • Newsom recently proclaimed a state of emergency in September due to the El Niño, which some forecasters predict could be the strongest on record.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • After the election, armchair pundits and paid professionals proclaimed that Ronald Reagan had been right all along.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 23 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 2 Nov. 2026.

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