1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to declare
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 to insist
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 profess
Bernie has professed his love for Elton, and Elton’s had to sing it.
—
Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
Elon Musk has long sought to augment his Silicon Valley celebrity with gamer cred, professing both skill and passion for a medium favored by tech geeks.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025
His Hindu nationalist party has sought to turn India – a nation constitutionally bound to secularism – into a Hindu rashtra, or homeland for the Hindu majority, critics say, at the expense of the millions who profess minority faiths.
—Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN, 10 Feb. 2025
The surprises in the premiere didn’t stop, with Ty, who had been stuck in the friends zone with Annie for four seasons, suddenly finding the courage to profess his love, which is reciprocated.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
Elon Musk has long sought to augment his Silicon Valley celebrity with gamer cred, professing both skill and passion for a medium favored by tech geeks.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 Jan. 2025
His Hindu nationalist party has sought to turn India – a nation constitutionally bound to secularism – into a Hindu rashtra, or homeland for the Hindu majority, critics say, at the expense of the millions who profess minority faiths.
—Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN, 10 Feb. 2025
The surprises in the premiere didn’t stop, with Ty, who had been stuck in the friends zone with Annie for four seasons, suddenly finding the courage to profess his love, which is reciprocated.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
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Too many leaders pretend to listen, nodding along in meetings but failing to take action.—
Mark Murphy,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
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Pride, drama, politics There’s no point in pretending AFCON is perfect.—
Phil Hay,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Although its exact origins are unclear, the quote is often attributed to Napoleon, the French general who effectively declared himself emperor in the early 1800s.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2025
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There also was little pushback from the church in Rome: not until the late 1880's, Murphy said, would the Pope definitively declare slavery to be morally wrong.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Towns, who played under Thibodeau in Minnesota, insists this wasn’t always the case.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
20 Feb. 2025
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One problem with the discovery rule, the teams insist, is that its availability turns on the plaintiff’s knowledge.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Markle’s choice led to an onslaught of emails and DMs from all over the world inquiring whether there was an association between the two companies or mistakenly assuming — and criticizing — that decision, Kolski said.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
21 Feb. 2025
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French President Emmanuel Macron has long sought to position himself at the forefront of a major shift in Europe's security outlook, one that would see the continent invest significantly more in defense spending and assume greater autonomy from the United States.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Similar to the claims in Trump’s executive order, the Army asserted that the medical needs of transgender people were onerous or impossible for the Army to meet.—
Natalie Shibley / Made by History,
TIME,
21 Feb. 2025
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By ensuring aerospace sovereignty and air defense, NORAD also asserts aerospace control.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The result has been gunfire exchanged in public spaces like roadways and public establishments where innocent civilians are present, the indictment alleges.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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The prosecution had alleged that the four men, who denied any wrongdoing, had pressured Hermoso into supporting Rubiales’ version of what happened, and requested 18-month prison sentences if they were found guilty.—
Charlie Scott,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The researchers simulated early Earth and how its primordial environment affected the color of the planet’s oceans.—
David Bressan,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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While some internal arms of rabbits stimulate the G-spot through vibrations, this one actually simulates the thrusts of a partner.—
Gina Vaynshteyn,
Glamour,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Since the end of the cold war, the U.S. has proclaimed its missile defenses were not meant to block an incoming attack from China or Russia, just loose North Korean ones.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
19 Feb. 2025
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Both actively and publicly proclaimed their imperialist or ethnocentric views.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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