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
James Dobson, once the most powerful tentpole of the Religious Right and a kingmaker for politicians professing faith, died Thursday, his family announced.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
The White Lotus actors met at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles in 2007 and professed their love for one another just a few weeks later.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
In the Netflix dramedy Too Much, a brokenhearted American, Jess, makes the move across the pond, inspired in part by daydreams of stately castles, rolling green hills and dashing gentlemen professing their ardent admiration.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
In a call to J & M’s corporate offices, the company professed not to know anything about it.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
The White Lotus actors met at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles in 2007 and professed their love for one another just a few weeks later.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
In the Netflix dramedy Too Much, a brokenhearted American, Jess, makes the move across the pond, inspired in part by daydreams of stately castles, rolling green hills and dashing gentlemen professing their ardent admiration.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2025
In a call to J & M’s corporate offices, the company professed not to know anything about it.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
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The study saw parents use actions to joke and pretend with kids aged 16 to 20 months old.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last week, Reuters reported that Pulte’s own father and stepmother had declared two homes in two different states as their primary residence, prompting a town in Michigan to remove a tax exemption for their home there and charge the couple for back taxes.—
Chris Prentice,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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The highest levels of malnutrition since the war began were reported this summer, and its largest city has been officially declared under famine by a panel of food-security experts.—
Pablo Robles,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Google, of course, insists the AI Overviews arrangement benefits everyone.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Caracas insists the buildup is part of a broader campaign directed at undermining President Nicolás Maduro’s government.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Do not assume the AI will necessarily seek to produce quality-level code.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Gemini tackled the problem by assuming that each reservoir had a priority value, which allowed the model to find the most efficient configuration using a dynamic programming algorithm.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Children want to change, as Adam Phillips asserts, but adults want to stay the same.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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Limit your interaction with them when possible and assert your boundaries firmly.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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American officials have alleged that North Korea is engaged in a long-running effort to use cyberattacks, cryptocurrency theft and IT contractors to gather information on behalf of the government in Pyongyang.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
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Cox was also asked about a Sunday New York Times report that alleged Robinson had communicated with others on Discord after the shooting.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The scene on a lower floor of an Overland Park office building simulated the investigation of an explosion as part of a two-day training event organized by the FBI’s Kansas City office with an eye toward readiness for the World Cup in 2026.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
18 Sep. 2025
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By creating a computational replica of an individual’s biology, informed by real patient data, researchers can simulate how diseases progress and how different interventions—drugs, devices or lifestyle changes—might alter that trajectory.—
Niven R. Narain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tottenham is part of the borough which researchers at University College London recently proclaimed the most ethnically diverse in Britain-possibly all of Western Europe-with 113 ethnic groups speaking over 193 languages.—
Adia Harvey Wingfield,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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Breaking the Myth In the wake of market shifts and headlines proclaiming the end of the short/long-term stay platform gold rush, FIBI offers a different perspective—one grounded in experience.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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