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
Quenneville likes the comparison to Perry, professing an affinity for a player who was, for years, an adversarial nuisance.
—
Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In response, Carlson sent Goldberg a series of hostile texts professing ignorance and warning Goldberg not to make his criticism public.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Murph the Surf and two of his boys were collared two days later, professing that the goods were gone.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
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
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
Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In response, Carlson sent Goldberg a series of hostile texts professing ignorance and warning Goldberg not to make his criticism public.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Murph the Surf and two of his boys were collared two days later, professing that the goods were gone.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professing
Verb
-
Chris Kreider, winger, B+ Jacob Trouba, defenseman, B+ Both players were jettisoned by the New York Rangers, who sunk in the standings and have continued selling off after pretending as though their leadership group was the issue.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The new study provides the first evidence of an animal pretending in a situation researchers could control.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Wills must be in writing, not oral, so recording a voice memo into your phone or making a post declaring your intentions on social media won’t count.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
In October, the Air District lowered the threshold of fine particulate matter for declaring Spare the Air alerts from 35 to 25 micrograms per cubic meter.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One side keeps insisting tougher enforcement and punishment will fix everything.—
Mark Mitchell,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Each design carries weight — physically and symbolically — insisting that perfume is not an accessory, but an object worthy of permanence.—
Sudhir Gupta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Johnson cannot afford to lose more than one Republican, assuming all members are present and Democrats are united against the measure being voted on that would set the rules for debating a bill to boost domestic production of critical minerals.—
Justin Papp,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The instinct was to start with the largest model possible, assuming that adaptation would naturally improve performance.—
Abhas Ricky,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Couples should feel confident asserting their expectations, knowing the photographer will be their sole source of images from the ceremony.—
Nikita Khanna,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
-
On a deeper level, however, Kelly is asserting that the very idea of a conflict of interest does not apply to this administration.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The National Redistricting Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Florida voters alleging DeSantis’s attempt to redistrict the state mid-decade via a special session is unlawful.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The files also contain testimony from an unnamed Epstein victim alleging that Brin had visited Epstein’s island around 2006.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The hourslong rehearsal involved filling the rocket with more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant and simulating each step of the launch countdown as would occur on the actual day.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Strong prompts improve decision-making by simulating options quickly.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In 1979, a madman named Howard Schnellenberger showed up, proclaiming that a program with a 14-29 record over the previous four years would win a national title within the next four years.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Four inches is generally safe to hold the weight of a human and small vehicles, but Waldo steers clear of proclaiming hard and fast rules.—
Stephanie Pearson,
Outside,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Professing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professing. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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