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
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
Instead of a mutual parting of ways, Howard professes his love for Nancy and proposes that the two be together.
—
Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
Aronofsky professed his deep affection for Mexico, calling it his favorite destination.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Sixty-one names will be on the June 2 primary ballot, including 10 leaders who profess to be serious about seeking the office.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The promise is more audacious even than most who profess Christianity can fully understand.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
Aronofsky professed his deep affection for Mexico, calling it his favorite destination.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Sixty-one names will be on the June 2 primary ballot, including 10 leaders who profess to be serious about seeking the office.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
The promise is more audacious even than most who profess Christianity can fully understand.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
-
And its erasure marked the beginning of centuries of political attempts to pretend that slavery never happened.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Online adult platforms are being severely restricted these days as new laws banning materials involving adults pretending to be under 18 are put into place.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
This year marks two centuries since Jefferson’s death and two hundred and fifty years since the United States declared its independence by issuing arguably the most important piece of prose in modern history.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
In addition to state amphibian, this year’s bill also declares Connecticut to be the birthplace of the Boys and Girls Club and names Housatonic marble — which is found throughout the state and forms part of the state Capitol — as state rock.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Instead, a top Justice Department official insisted the ruling wasn't binding, and the administration continued denying detainees around the country a chance for release.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
-
Instead, a top Justice Department official insisted the ruling wasn’t binding, and the administration continued denying detainees around the country a chance for release.—
Sudhin Thanawala,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Human operators continuously monitor the systems and can assume manual control when necessary.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
The aether, it was assumed, was the medium inherent to space that all objects, from comets to planets to stars, traveled through.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.—
Mark Sherman,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
-
The improved momentum behind IGV and relative 'buy' signals versus the SPX suggest software stocks are asserting themselves as a new source of leadership within the technology sector.—
Katie Stockton,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Because Pe’Sla was not included as an affected area and no environmental review was conducted, the approval violates the National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act, the lawsuit alleges.—
Sarah Raza,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
-
The two are also accused of misuse of public benefits, fraudulent representations to government agencies and financial transactions alleged to conceal proceeds of criminal activity.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Unlike more common software programs and plugins that simulate violin sounds via sampling, averaging the final sound from thousands of notes, the MIT model is based on the fundamental physics of the instrument.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 May 2026
-
By analyzing the optical properties of various microplastics in the lab and simulating their effect on a global scale, the new study’s authors estimated that microplastics’ warming abilities outweigh their potential cooling effects—something current climate models don’t account for.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
In his first Inaugural Address, on March 4, 1861, with seven states having already seceded from the Union, Lincoln proclaimed the essence of secession to be anarchy.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Some in the media proclaimed this the best offense in history.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
