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
Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman wrote in a morning email to students and faculty the Department of Homeland Security gained access to the Manhattan building by professing to be searching for a missing person.
—
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professing
Verb
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The Buffs, who open spring ball Monday, are full-speed ahead at pretending 2025 didn’t happen — so much so, in fact, that nearly half the roster, both coordinators and a chunk of the coaching staff are brand new.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
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At one point, a woman pretending to be the White House press secretary held a mock press conference while sporting Fake News buttons and what appeared to be a fake baby bump.—
Toluse Olorunnipa,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But mangrove protection advocates are not declaring victory, and the property owner is not conceding defeat.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
-
QatarEnergy, the Gulf nation's state-run petroleum firm that handles all of its oil and gas business, said Wednesday that was declaring Force Majeure, a measure that relieves a company of its contractual obligations when it is impacted by circumstances beyond its control.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Democrats are insisting on changes to immigration enforcement operations as part of the measure and blocked it from advancing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The protagonist, for her part, feels the students were willing participants and finds their accusations tiresome, insisting the modern outcry over power imbalances is overblown.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a market as economically diverse as Miami, this threshold is worth checking before assuming drug costs are fixed.—
Allison Palmer
March 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Zillow’s affordability target price is based on house payments — excluding taxes and insurance and assuming a 20% down payment — that equal 30% of the local median income.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Our regions have long paid a heavy price, under both the shah and the clerical regime, for simply asserting our identity.—
Jalil Pakray,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The dual efforts in the House and Senate face uphill battles to become law, as previous efforts have failed in asserting congressional authority to declare war.—
Luke Garrett,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Emails alleging violations started arriving to City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos before the semifinals.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Hartsuch appealed, but in October 2025, the Iowa Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s ruling, setting the stage for Hartsuch’s newest lawsuit alleging the board’s actions were unreasonable, violated his rights and destroyed his livelihood.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In large cage experiments simulating natural populations, the gene drive spread to nearly 100% of mosquitoes and caused complete population collapse within 7 to 11 generations.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
-
This key test involves loading the rocket with fuel, preparing the capsule that will house the Artemis II crew for the duration of the mission for launch, and simulating a launch countdown.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Jalisco cartel has built a reputation for spectacular acts of violence, including downing a military helicopter and attempting to assassinate Mexico City’s police chief, so social media posts proclaiming extraordinary cartel brutality are difficult to doubt.—
María Verza,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The Jalisco cartel has built a reputation for spectacular acts of violence, including downing a military helicopter and attempting to assassinate Mexico City’s police chief, so social media posts proclaiming extraordinary cartel brutality are difficult to doubt.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Professing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professing. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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