1
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in declaring
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 insisting
to state as a fact usually forcefully
he professed his innocence to anyone who would listen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of professing
Texas pulled off an upset against in-state rival Texas A&M on Friday night in a thrilling 27-17 victory that had head coach Steve Sarkisian professing his 9-3 Longhorns should make the College Football Playoff.
—
Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Meghan Markle is professing her love for Prince Harry five years after the couple’s royal exit.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 Nov. 2025
In the past two decades, self-expression has become a tacit expectation in many white-collar workplaces, with dress codes relaxing and companies professing interest in their employees’ lives and values.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
She was received by the religious community and took her religious name — Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt — in 1938 before professing her vows in 1945.
—Shannon Ryan, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Warning signs, per federal guidance, can include someone quickly professing love, claiming to live far away, requests to move conversations to other apps and having bad grammar.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Brady concluded his own explanation by professing his love of the game.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
This is the month to really practice living beyond the binary instead of just professing it.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 17 Sep. 2025
James Dobson, once the most powerful tentpole of the Religious Right and a kingmaker for politicians professing faith, died Thursday, his family announced.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Meghan Markle is professing her love for Prince Harry five years after the couple’s royal exit.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 Nov. 2025
In the past two decades, self-expression has become a tacit expectation in many white-collar workplaces, with dress codes relaxing and companies professing interest in their employees’ lives and values.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
She was received by the religious community and took her religious name — Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt — in 1938 before professing her vows in 1945.
—Shannon Ryan, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Warning signs, per federal guidance, can include someone quickly professing love, claiming to live far away, requests to move conversations to other apps and having bad grammar.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Brady concluded his own explanation by professing his love of the game.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
This is the month to really practice living beyond the binary instead of just professing it.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 17 Sep. 2025
James Dobson, once the most powerful tentpole of the Religious Right and a kingmaker for politicians professing faith, died Thursday, his family announced.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professing
Verb
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Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
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How naïve must Trump be to believe that Putin cares about Ukraine’s well-being after invading it, killing thousands of its people, kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children back to Russia, and continuing to bomb civilian apartment buildings while pretending to negotiate a peace deal?—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The document significantly lowered the threshold for the possible use of nuclear weapons, declaring that any nation’s conventional attack on Russia that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on the country.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Even before declaring his presidential intentions, Vance received a powerful early endorsement in late December.—
Myra Adams,
Washington Post,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But the state of California is insisting the Ivanpah power plant in the Mojave Desert stay open for at least 13 more years.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
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British officials downplayed the pause as temporary, insisting momentum would resume amid complex negotiations, but the impasse signals broader frustrations with Europe’s regulatory posture toward American innovation, market access, and economic sovereignty.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In estimating that online sales would result in overall annual profits of about $30-90 million, the Legislative Services Agency is assuming there would be an accompanying decrease in retail lottery sales.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Launching a military operation and then assuming responsibility for governance shifts Washington toward a closed, coercive model of power – one that relies on force to establish authority and is prohibitively costly to sustain over time.—
Monica Duffy Toft,
The Conversation,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For years, Putin has been asserting a vision of a world divided by a few powerful men into spheres of influence.—
M. Gessen,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The mayor called on ICE agents to leave the city, asserting that federal immigration authorities were ripping families apart and sowing chaos on Minneapolis streets.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There was that conservative influencer who went out and posted this video that went viral, alleging that day care facilities were pocketing public funds.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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In November 2020, Feeding Our Future sued the Minnesota Department of Education, alleging that the state was slow-walking its grant applications.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In recent years Beijing has ramped up its military intimidation of Taiwan, including by simulating blockades.—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Since stem cell models represent a disease’s early stages, simulating development is trickier and more time-consuming.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even with Lincoln’s executive order proclaiming freedom for the slaves, the practice continued until the war was completed.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
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The political and religious cast of the crowd in Bloomington was signaled by the street vendors, who were doing brisk business offering red, white, and black make america great again hats, along with caps proclaiming jesus won and sweatshirts emblazoned with freedom and Kirk’s signature.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Professing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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