1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

professing

verb

present participle of profess
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

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 professing The designer, who was hailed as a visionary in the industry throughout the ‘90s and early ‘00s, sparked outrage in 2011 following multiple antisemitic and racist incidents, including professing his love for Hitler at a restaurant in Paris. — Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 For graduates pessimistic about AI’s implications for the labor market, claims professing its value feel inauthentic. — Evan Clarkson, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026 The finale ended with Malcolm finally professing his feelings for Lori. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 July 2026 In recent campaign communications, all three Democrats running to become the next governor of Kansas have cited internal data professing themselves to be leading their primary competition. — Matthew Kelly updated June 26, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026 Carolla then turned more serious, professing his lifelong love of the medium. — City News Service, Daily News, 28 May 2026 After professing an oath of faithfulness to observe the customs of the cathedral, the archbishop may place a hand upon it or kiss it. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026 The brothers discussed that game on their Einfach Mal Luppen podcast the week, with Toni professing a fondness for Dan Burn’s agricultural style. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professing
  1. pretending
  2. declaring
  3. insisting
  4. assuming
  5. asserting
  6. alleging
  7. simulating
  8. proclaiming
Verb
  • The surviving witness fell to the floor, pretending to be dead, and called 911 once Lee left the store.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Members of these networks share detailed guides on how to identify vulnerable girls online and groom them by pretending to have a romantic interest or be a supportive friend.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of pretending
Verb
  • And now Selena Gomez is declaring that leggings are pants for fall 2026.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 16 Sep. 2026
  • But declaring a nation and keeping it alive are very different things.
    — Harry Ostrer, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of declaring
Verb
  • Yigal Carmon, a conservative retired colonel in Israeli military intelligence and the founder of MEMRI, a research center that monitors media across the Muslim world, had spent years insisting that Qatar was a sponsor of terrorism.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The alliance, which represents most of those agencies, has argued in recent years for a major adjustment in state compensation, insisting payments have lagged inflation for more than a decade, costing the industry more than $300 million annually.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of insisting
Verb
  • To avoid another situation like this, ESPN should stop assuming our intentions are poor and do a better job keeping sensitive information concealed.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Give ‘Gals a big shot in this GOTW-caliber matchup assuming QB Joe Burrow (back) plays as expected.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of assuming
Verb
  • On Tuesday, Zuckerberg echoed Huang's stance in a post on X, asserting that an industry-wide emergency brake is unnecessary and that third-party evaluations represent the optimal path forward.
    — , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the Amazon Essentials Loafer Flats have earned more than 9,000 five-star reviews from shoppers impressed by their packability and versatility, asserting loafers’ spot as one of fall’s ‘it’ travel shoes.
    — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of asserting
Verb
  • More complaints stem from congressional map fight Hoskins is facing two other lawsuits filed in the past week by voters alleging they were harmed by Hoskins actions.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Yabloko was struck off only days after being registered for the election after a pro-Kremlin nationalist party, Rodina (Motherland in Russian), brought a lawsuit against the party alleging foreign financing and copyright violations.
    — Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of alleging
Verb
  • Silicon sampling troubles some polling traditionalists who are uneasy about ethical and other implications of simulating human responses.
    — W. Joseph Campbell, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • For Martens, the best way to do this is by simulating aspects of gameplay, which can only be achieved by integrating goalkeeper training with the outfield positions.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of simulating
Verb
  • It’s often been said, or at least inferred, that the International Olympic Committee occasionally wishes to market itself as an entity dedicated to proclaiming and restoring peace.
    — Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • With no disrespect to Stafford, who has had a very good career, this is a bit like a former Linkin Park roadie proclaiming that if the band were to come out with another hit album, they’d be considered one of the five best.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of proclaiming

Browse Nearby Words

professes
professing
profession
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Professing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professing. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of pundit

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All