1
as in pretends
to present a false appearance of
professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in declares
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 insists
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 professes
In this context, improving pay and addressing disparities will be a formidable undertaking for a mayoral administration that professes a commitment to economic justice.
—
Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 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
Ongoing diversity problem Each year, Goodell professes a desire to see the NFL employ fair hiring practices that will ensure the league’s head coaching and general manager ranks reflect strong diversity.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 2 Feb. 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
Colossal Biosciences professes to have species conservation as its primary mission, but de-extinction technologies could be used for other purposes.
—JSTOR Daily, 13 Nov. 2025
Also, this is the second scene of the season in which a male love interest professes an intense and specific oral fixation with his female partner.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Adcock professes to take safety seriously.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Add to this fact that Isabelle’s assistant, Dani, also professes her love for her and there’s quite a lot of intersecting queerness in this entry.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025
Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 5 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
Ongoing diversity problem Each year, Goodell professes a desire to see the NFL employ fair hiring practices that will ensure the league’s head coaching and general manager ranks reflect strong diversity.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 2 Feb. 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
Colossal Biosciences professes to have species conservation as its primary mission, but de-extinction technologies could be used for other purposes.
—JSTOR Daily, 13 Nov. 2025
Also, this is the second scene of the season in which a male love interest professes an intense and specific oral fixation with his female partner.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Adcock professes to take safety seriously.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Add to this fact that Isabelle’s assistant, Dani, also professes her love for her and there’s quite a lot of intersecting queerness in this entry.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them., 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professes
Verb
-
No one pretends to extract any truth or significance.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Receiving gifts is the one love language everyone pretends not to have.—
Jennifer Noyes,
Air Mail,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The law also declares that contracts that support immigration enforcement are void and unenforceable.—
Stephanie Douglas,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Once a senior official declares something with categorical certainty, the system can feel pressure – sometimes subtle, sometimes overt – to validate the headline.—
Brian O'Neill,
The Conversation,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Reluctant to leave him alone, Henry insists Bill come to stay with him and his wife Pat (Katie McGrath), giving him time also with his adoring niece Debby (Tallulah Cavanaugh).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Thus, quantum Darwinism insists that a unique classical world can and must emerge from quantum probabilities.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The newer model assumes that demand follows trust.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Kerry Haigh will continue to serve as interim CEO until Clark assumes his role March 2.—
Eric Prisbell,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Teams also have official pages on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, but the lawsuit asserts that teams’ X pages are used for real-time updates, injury reports and related data.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
In addition, Netflix asserts that retail streaming prices will go down, arguing that consumers see HBO Max as complementary to Netflix’s service, and as such competitors like Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney+/Hulu will be forced to keep pricing in check to fight for market share.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Despite the prevalence of narcotics crimes, Jacobson alleges that Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos does not want to work with other agencies, including Border Patrol and ICE.—
Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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Their lawsuit alleges Quero Silva was the national guard commander who instructed his officers to strip both male and female protestors and then kick and strike them with boots and helmets inside the barracks in Barquisimeto, west of Caracas.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The software simulates wind passing over the avatar, computational fluid dynamics calculate how much resistance there is — and how tweaking a skater’s form alters that.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Most prominently, engineers detected leaking hydrogen during the test, known as a wet dress rehearsal that simulates a launch day countdown.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The state proclaims how much cash the lottery is pouring into schools.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Richard proclaims he and Lexy's innocence, but the discovery of the murder weapon (and Rachel's nail fragments) in their house is evidence enough that Lexy and Richard are behind the murders.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Professes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professes. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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