1
as in pretends
to present a false appearance of
professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in declares
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 insists
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 professes
After the massive trauma crisis is resolved, Owen professes his desire to be with Teddy and move to Paris, where Teddy was considering a once-in-a-lifetime research position.
—
Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Vance professes to be ‘obsessed’ with UFO files Trump appears skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
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
Trump often professes his support for farmers.
—Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
The upcoming exhibition's contemporary edge professes the importance of displaying Native American art of the present, to resist the erasure of living, thriving Indigenous American cultures and communities.
—Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 26 Feb. 2026
In this context, improving pay and addressing disparities will be a formidable undertaking for a mayoral administration that professes a commitment to economic justice.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
Maurice grows steadily more intimate with a friend, Clive, trading books and letters with him over vacation, until Clive professes his love.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Ongoing diversity problem Each year, Goodell professes a desire to see the NFL employ fair hiring practices that will ensure the league’s head coaching and general manager ranks reflect strong diversity.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Vance professes to be ‘obsessed’ with UFO files Trump appears skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
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
Trump often professes his support for farmers.
—Anthony Pahnke, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
The upcoming exhibition's contemporary edge professes the importance of displaying Native American art of the present, to resist the erasure of living, thriving Indigenous American cultures and communities.
—Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 26 Feb. 2026
In this context, improving pay and addressing disparities will be a formidable undertaking for a mayoral administration that professes a commitment to economic justice.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
Maurice grows steadily more intimate with a friend, Clive, trading books and letters with him over vacation, until Clive professes his love.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2026
Ongoing diversity problem Each year, Goodell professes a desire to see the NFL employ fair hiring practices that will ensure the league’s head coaching and general manager ranks reflect strong diversity.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professes
Verb
-
Elsa argues with her mother, Isabel doesn’t like to be questioned and pretends everything’s all right, while Amalia hangs with dodgy characters and makes claims that seem real only to her.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
25 May 2026
-
But nobody pretends academics matter for college football players in 2026, and shortening the lull could maintain momentum and move the National Championship up a few weeks.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The coach declares her team’s strategies as the best and most comprehensive in the country.—
Caroline Price,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
How we are perceived is often not up to us, the painting declares.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Lind insists her parents did not help the casting effort, as the couple had misgivings about their kids following them in the business.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
And then there’s the prim and unfriendly Stagg, who doesn’t play well with others, who insists on having the office to himself, and who refuses to let the affable Krick be a part of his reports to Ike and the rest of the generals.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Ours is a pay-as-you-go system, and the IRS assumes that your income is received evenly throughout the year, says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
-
As Bay Area News Group has reported, the county’s plan heavily relies on drawing down county cash reserves and assumes the recovery of millions in vehicle licensing revenues.—
Mercury News Editorial Board,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Flávio Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing and asserts that Vorcaro’s money was used to produce a movie about his father’s life.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
-
If the legislature exceeded its authority, then the lawsuit asserts that the new map cannot be used.—
David A. Lieb,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Billy Pope last month, also alleges Sumstad was driving a city vehicle under the influence previously.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
-
The state alleges there were four adults and two children inside the home at the time of the shooting.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The Supercomputer simulates the remaining fixtures of a season 10,000 times and analyses the results to create an average league table from those simulations.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
The facility is likely the only one in the world that can do full-load, bidirectional testing that simulates both grid conditions and variable data-center loads.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This cage, the image proclaims, is America.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
But on Change of Plans, the outfit's newest album — out now — frontman Isaac Gibson proudly proclaims that the humble group of musicians from Castlewood finally sounds most like themselves.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Professes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professes. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
