profess

verb

pro·​fess prə-ˈfes 

prō-

professed; professing; professes

transitive verb

1

: to receive formally into a religious community following a novitiate by acceptance of the required vows

2

a

: to declare or admit openly or freely : affirm

b

: to declare in words or appearances only : pretend, claim

3

: to confess one's faith in or allegiance to

4

a

: to practice or claim to be versed in (a calling or profession)

b

: to teach as a professor

intransitive verb

1

: to make a profession or avowal

2

obsolete : to profess friendship

Synonyms

• act
• affect
• assume
• bluff
• counterfeit
• dissemble
• fake
• feign
• pass (for)
• pretend
• put on
• sham
• simulate

Examples of profess in a Sentence

He professes confidence in his friend.

They profess loyalty to the king.

Recent Examples on the Web

Businesses also wrestle with their public-facing brand and their operations behind the curtain (to borrow a turn of phrase from The Wizard of Oz, which Lynch professes to think about every day). —Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2024

Yates has professed her love for Andrews on social media Yates celebrated her boyfriend’s 29th birthday on Sept. 6, 2024, with a touching tribute on Instagram. —Alexandra Hurtado, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024

Vikander picked up basic Korean during the shoot, and professed admiration for K-Pop stars. —Rhonda Richford, WWD, 1 Oct. 2024

Rodgers professed to the Jets owner that he was disappointed in his performance versus the Vikings and that the pair discussed how the team could turn the season around. —Thomas Schlachter, CNN, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

in sense 1, from Middle English, from profes, adjective, having professed one's vows, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin professus, from Latin, past participle of profitēri to profess, confess, from pro- before + fatēri to acknowledge; in other senses, from Latin professus, past participle — more at confess

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

profess

verb

pro·​fess prə-ˈfes 

1

: to declare openly or freely

profess confidence in a friend

2

: pretend entry 1 sense 1, claim

professed to be our friends