1
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in declaring
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 insisting
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 professing
Columbia Acting President Claire Shipman wrote in a morning email to students and faculty the Department of Homeland Security gained access to the Manhattan building by professing to be searching for a missing person.
—
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Quenneville likes the comparison to Perry, professing an affinity for a player who was, for years, an adversarial nuisance.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In response, Carlson sent Goldberg a series of hostile texts professing ignorance and warning Goldberg not to make his criticism public.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 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
Texas pulled off an upset against in-state rival Texas A&M on Friday night in a thrilling 27-17 victory that had head coach Steve Sarkisian professing his 9-3 Longhorns should make the College Football Playoff.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Meghan Markle is professing her love for Prince Harry five years after the couple’s royal exit.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 Nov. 2025
Warning signs, per federal guidance, can include someone quickly professing love, claiming to live far away, requests to move conversations to other apps and having bad grammar.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Brady concluded his own explanation by professing his love of the game.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026
Quenneville likes the comparison to Perry, professing an affinity for a player who was, for years, an adversarial nuisance.
—Eric Stephens, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In response, Carlson sent Goldberg a series of hostile texts professing ignorance and warning Goldberg not to make his criticism public.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 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
Texas pulled off an upset against in-state rival Texas A&M on Friday night in a thrilling 27-17 victory that had head coach Steve Sarkisian professing his 9-3 Longhorns should make the College Football Playoff.
—Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Meghan Markle is professing her love for Prince Harry five years after the couple’s royal exit.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 Nov. 2025
Warning signs, per federal guidance, can include someone quickly professing love, claiming to live far away, requests to move conversations to other apps and having bad grammar.
—Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
Brady concluded his own explanation by professing his love of the game.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for professing
Verb
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And in Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Hurt played one of the New York socialites who falls into the web of deceit created by a charismatic young man (Will Smith) pretending to be the son of Sidney Poitier.—
Chris Koseluk,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Mar. 2026
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But requiring all 3- or 4-year-olds to participate in a public preschool program or pretending that child care will produce better outcomes for all children doesn’t hold up to the data.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the arc — first raising expectations for a big reveal, then declaring there was nothing to see, and ultimately a forced, flawed document dump — was a stubbornly problematic storyline that ran through her time as attorney general.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The game happened to be on November 18th, the anniversary of Haitian revolutionaries defeating the French Army in 1803 before declaring independence.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Tuchel tried to put a brave face on it afterwards, insisting that every team in the world would miss a player of Kane’s quality, and that his England team have won games without Kane in the past and will do so again in the future.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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The industry is bracing for massive jobs cuts, which Ellison has played down and did again Friday, insisting the combined company will operate more efficiently but also grow.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The researchers suggest that future batteries may need to account for this dynamic behavior rather than assuming a stable internal structure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Alfredo Delgadillo has been promoted to CEO & President, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, assuming oversight of Universal Music Latino in the United States, while continuing to lead Universal Music Mexico and the Regional Mexican label Fono.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In listening without asserting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But now the deal has been paused amid legal challenges asserting that Nexstar-Tegna violates antitrust laws.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The nine-page complaint asks for construction to be halted, alleging the developer never went to the Michigan City Board of Zoning Appeals.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Back in November 2024, a whistleblower filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging, among other issues, misuse of resources and abuse of power at the union.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The first modern computers used analog systems, which were especially useful for solving problems and simulating dynamic systems in real time.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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Finance can also use AI to improve forecasting—and to develop predictive forecasts—not only by generating new scenarios but simulating them, too, Mittal says.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Today, there's writing on the wall outside, proclaiming the miracle of Ho Khanh.—
Nicole Young,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Misao took a microphone, proudly proclaiming her dedication to justice.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Professing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/professing. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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