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
McAfee has professed the benefits of unpasteurized milk in public libraries and chiropractor offices.
—
Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
How might Infantino continue to profess neutrality while still clearly taking a side, pretending to listen to every voice while remaining obedient to only one?
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
All proudly professes himself as a man of faith.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Carolla then turned more serious, professing his lifelong love of the medium.
—City News Service, Daily News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
How might Infantino continue to profess neutrality while still clearly taking a side, pretending to listen to every voice while remaining obedient to only one?
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
All proudly professes himself as a man of faith.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Carolla then turned more serious, professing his lifelong love of the medium.
—City News Service, Daily News, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
-
Aegon, reeling from his brother’s betrayal and, likely, the early stages of opiate withdrawal, refuses to pledge (pretend) fealty to the Blacks and so Larys reveals Aegon’s identity.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
-
But for a little while in Pinehurst, a room full of journalists and a parking lot full of golf fans agreed to pretend otherwise.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
But Nicky stays and watches, amused as Lestat declares his new outlook on life.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
22 June 2026
-
The mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, had already declared his opposition to West’s performance on social media in late March.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Iran’s leaders insist the country’s nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
The thread running through all of these is the same worry, that decisions which used to be made by people who could be questioned are now made by systems that cannot, unless someone insists they be opened up.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Prioritize safety, stay impeccably informed, and assume responsibility to shield lives and property.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
19 June 2026
-
And perhaps more to the point, the genome might not submit to the kind of straightforward input-output approach that such AI models ultimately assume.—
Philip Ball,
Quanta Magazine,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Car show winners The winner of Best in Show at the fourth annual Historic Downtown Campbell Car Show, held June 6, may seem somewhat underwhelming, but organizers assert that Michael Vanni’s 1964 Chevy Nova has serious street cred.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
21 June 2026
-
That came after the start of talks between the two countries had been delayed while both sides also sought to assert influence over the strait.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors also alleged King fathered a child through an extra-marital affair and threatened the child’s mother to keep quiet.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2026
-
Surviving former residents alleged that rape and torture had been routine there for decades, especially under segregation, when Black boys bore the worst of the abuse.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
But there’s no way to simulate all the variables of real life, particularly the weather.—
Tim Stevens,
ArsTechnica,
22 June 2026
-
Instead of developing multiple aircraft designs or conducting thousands of expensive flight tests, engineers can simulate those scenarios digitally and rapidly iterate on designs.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
Her claim to the throne is strongest, since her father King Viserys, publicly proclaimed her his heir at the start of Season 1.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
There’s an urge to proclaim Haaland the biggest megastar to perform at Boston Stadium/Gillette Stadium since Tom Brady was lighting up the sky for the Patriots.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
