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
Yet Emmanwori has professed an admiration for Fred Warner, an All-Pro linebacker who was a hybrid safety/linebacker at Brigham Young and converted to a sideline-to-sideline linebacker for the 49ers.
—
Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Maurice grows steadily more intimate with a friend, Clive, trading books and letters with him over vacation, until Clive professes his love.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 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
No matter how much people want to blame the departing Matt Nagy, or how Reid professes that the offense has been off just a tick, a significant part of why the Chiefs the last three seasons went 15th, 15th and 21st in scoring has a more holistic cause.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
Maurice grows steadily more intimate with a friend, Clive, trading books and letters with him over vacation, until Clive professes his love.
—Bekah Waalkes, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 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
No matter how much people want to blame the departing Matt Nagy, or how Reid professes that the offense has been off just a tick, a significant part of why the Chiefs the last three seasons went 15th, 15th and 21st in scoring has a more holistic cause.
—Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
-
By age 2, most kids know how to play pretend.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
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The outbreaks have mostly affected children and have come as infectious disease experts warn that rising public distrust of vaccines generally may be contributing to the spread of a disease once declared eradicated by public health officials.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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They might also be saddened that 250 years after declaring independence from a tyrannical British king, the American system of government has arguably less democratic accountability for its leaders than the British one.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Putin, however, has insisted that Russia would achieve its objectives in Ukraine one way or another.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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The 66-year-old actor insisted paying attention to subtle changes in his body made all the difference in his cancer battle while talking about his new business venture – AWEAR Market.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Until recently, the markets had assumed that companies would be buoyed by the massive amount of capex (capital expenditure) going into AI, and that AI would generate new efficiencies and higher productivity that would ultimately result in higher revenues and earnings per share.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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In the past, scientists had assumed that the ability to pretend and consider multiple realities was unique to humans.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Demand independent confirmation of whatever statements are asserted as facts.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
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Going to the Super Bowl is about participating in monoculture while simultaneously asserting your singularity.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Long before news broke of lawsuits alleging a widespread State Farm bad faith scheme to wrongly deny Oklahoma hail claims, Coppermark’s petition accused insurance companies and the insurance department of working in cahoots.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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Rx Kids has garnered bipartisan support though House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, has alleged the program gives cash payments to non-citizens to have children.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Held annually in October, the events simulate the process of air travel from check-in to boarding to introduce autistic children to the experience of air travel.—
Michael Salerno,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
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One of his chief responsibilities is preparing the scout-team offense, which is tasked every practice with simulating the next opponent in an 11-on-11 setting against the Pats’ starting defense.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With two Oscars, two BAFTAs, two Golden Globes, the Venice Volci Cup, and even a Kid's Choice Award to her name, Stone isn't exactly in need of a typical actor's website that proclaims her greatness and announces her availability for more work.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
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Fortune was supposed to favor them, ex-Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison proclaimed after the 2025 draft lottery.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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