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

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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 Phoebe Bridgers has never been shy about professing her love for mainstream country music. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026 For arrivals willing to submit to the experimental, ever-evolving social structure, and to the limitations that were placed on newcomers, the technologically superior Eiquans professed an indifference that amounted to a willing welcome. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2026 The film follows André and Howery as two best friends who embark on a road trip to New York City so that André’s character can profess his love to his high school crush. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 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 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
  • One member of a relationship accidentally spills secrets because they get seduced by someone pretending to be the other member of their relationship.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2026
  • His shoulders slumped and his gait turned flat-footed, failing even to pretend to contest a Julian Champagnie shot.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of pretend
Verb
  • After the first Taibaan film, Srinuan borrowed Marvel’s habit of announcing a slate, declaring a universe before any scripts existed to push himself to keep working.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Its enduring contribution to the state, the university itself often declares, is rooted in the quality of the education students receive.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of declare
Verb
  • Brown, of Relativity, insists that adopting AI is a necessary move to maintain healthy peer-to-peer and global competition.
    — S. Sorrina Beecher, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Hezbollah insists on a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel conditions its withdrawal on Hezbollah’s disarmament and other security guarantees.
    — Tamirace Fakhoury, The Conversation, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of insist
Verb
  • It was assumed that they had been caught in the blizzard, lost their way, got separated, and, finally, died in the snow.
    — Yasushi Inoue, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
  • However, the flight system encountered a technical fault when Fluctus misinterpreted air pressure fluctuations as a crash landing and prematurely declared an emergency apogee, assuming the rocket was beyond recovery.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of assume
Verb
  • With the game fully in hand, junior center Clara Silva asserted herself in the second half with six straight points to extend TCU’s lead to 68-18 as the Horned Frogs leaned on Silva’s size to punish the Lions’ front court off the pick and roll.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2026
  • In 2024, Heggy co-authored a report asserting that development is rapidly deteriorating California’s coast, leading to shrinking shorelines and disappearing sand.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 12 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
  • Mundo creates interactive digital twins of hotel environments from photographs, allowing robots to simulate tasks and learn how objects behave before operating in the real world.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2026
  • On launch day, Skyways and Shell announced that the FAA has cleared a V2 to fly beyond visual line of sight from Gibson, Louisiana, to an offshore platform in the Gulf, inspecting a pipeline and simulating a cargo drop on the way.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of simulate
Verb
  • In 1968 Veterans Day fell victim to the fad of celebrating national holidays on Mondays or Fridays to create the sacred three-day weekend, when Congress proclaimed that it should be celebrated on the fourth Monday of October.
    — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The report found no record of the in-house physician being notified of the patient’s condition, and no record of any doctor—virtual or not—proclaiming the patient dead.
    — Alana Semuels, Time, 10 Nov. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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