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
The titular character survived in the end and professed his love to Mary (Rochelle Aytes).
—
Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
Even former faces of prestige TV like Jon Hamm and Lena Dunham publicly profess their devotion to Southern Charm and Vanderpump Rules.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Vance professes to be ‘obsessed’ with UFO files Trump appears skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Instead of a mutual parting of ways, Howard professes his love for Nancy and proposes that the two be together.
—Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
Even former faces of prestige TV like Jon Hamm and Lena Dunham publicly profess their devotion to Southern Charm and Vanderpump Rules.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 4 May 2026
Vance professes to be ‘obsessed’ with UFO files Trump appears skeptical about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
—Collin Binkley, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2026
Instead of a mutual parting of ways, Howard professes his love for Nancy and proposes that the two be together.
—Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
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The two initially make a deal where Hannah exchanges free tutoring lessons for Garrett pretending to be her boyfriend, making her crush jealous.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
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With the war’s turbulence on the economy more prevalent and the internet now throttled, Russians no longer have the luxury of pretending the war in Ukraine isn’t happening.—
Daniel DePetris,
Twin Cities,
15 May 2026
Verb
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With very few exceptions, an end was declared, not only to empires, but also to city-states, duchies, principalities, emirates, sultanates, caliphates, khanates, agencies, princely states, colonies, suzerains, dependencies, mandates, tributaries, condominia and protectorates.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern over an outbreak of a rare Ebola virus in central Africa.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Real change begins when communities insist on solutions that restore dignity, stability, and hope rather than pushing people out of sight.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
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Maybe, for those who knew his story, this was a high school marker for when college recruiters insisted Jackson was a receiver at the next level.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Scott, the attorney, also said Thursday that Williamson assumed, based on her conversations with McCluskie, that McCluskie had spoken to Becerra about the concept of the money transfer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
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Recommended Stories That’s assuming there’s actually enough of it accessible on the moon to be profitably extracted.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Still, Clarke’s love of literature and affinity for great prose can assert themselves now and then.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
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Yeah, add that to the long list of unsupported claims about these vaccines that have ranged from various anti-vaxxers asserting that the vaccines will turn you into a gigantic magnet to attributing seemingly every celebrity illness and death during the COVID-19 pandemic to the COVID-19 vaccines.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors allege Saab led a yearslong scheme beginning around 2015 to defraud a humanitarian program intended to provide food to impoverished Venezuelans.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
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In a criminal complaint obtained by the New York Post, prosecutors alleged that McHenry stabbed Bachmann in the neck and chest inside her car.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Several heat shield tiles on the spacecraft have intentionally been painted white to simulate damage and create visual targets for inspection systems.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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And simulating Paul Baran’s idea became Sharla’s job.—
Laura Isensee,
Scientific American,
18 May 2026
Verb
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While there will always be the ‘doomers’ out there proclaiming otherwise, that doesn’t mean comics are dying—they’re just changing.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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But on Change of Plans, the outfit's newest album — out now — frontman Isaac Gibson proudly proclaims that the humble group of musicians from Castlewood finally sounds most like themselves.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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