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
Mah Jongg has been featured on morning talk shows, with Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager (of the Today Show) professing their love for the game.
—
Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
And days later, the two professed their love to one another.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 5 June 2025
But listen to those lyrics, which also land differently in a modern context — especially when thinking about how the Bible nowadays is too often used to justify hate instead of the love Jesus professed.
—Matthew J. Palm, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
The godmother always offers introductory remarks and Jolie maximized her time by professing a love for international cinema while staying true to her humanitarian activism and calling attention to tragic stories of women who lost their lives amid war and conflict abroad.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
And days later, the two professed their love to one another.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 5 June 2025
But listen to those lyrics, which also land differently in a modern context — especially when thinking about how the Bible nowadays is too often used to justify hate instead of the love Jesus professed.
—Matthew J. Palm, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025
The godmother always offers introductory remarks and Jolie maximized her time by professing a love for international cinema while staying true to her humanitarian activism and calling attention to tragic stories of women who lost their lives amid war and conflict abroad.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for profess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for profess
Verb
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At the time, he was asked why viewers should pay attention to a young actor pretending to be an undercover cop.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
10 July 2025
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Adams, who started as a center forward pretending to be former Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry, recalled taking his earliest steps in soccer in Wappinger.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
Exceeding the authority The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump had exceeded his authority by declaring an emergency to impose tariffs without congressional approval.—
Mauricio Savarese,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
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Just how confident is Vandy? Pavia last month called out Alabama on a national podcast, declaring the Commodores have the talent to beat the Tide again.—
Matt Hayes,
The Tennessean,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Now Bondi and Patel insist that there's nothing there.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
14 July 2025
-
Tesla insists its cars are safe as long as drivers remain attentive.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
14 July 2025
Verb
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President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act – assuming the version Senate Republicans passed on Tuesday becomes law–would cut the legs out from under the renewable energy industry.—
Christopher Helman,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has assumed oversight of Tesla Inc.’s sales in Europe and the U.S. following the departure of longtime deputy Omead Afshar, people familiar with the matter said.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Acrobatics & tumbling asserts its athletic diversity, drawing on a wide range of strengths from its participants.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
14 July 2025
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In his letter, Donovan asserted that the Chiefs had submitted a proposal to the state and received no response for six weeks — a claim Kelly administration officials dispute.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
14 July 2025
Verb
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In 2019, Ri sued her dad and his business partner, Moses Perkins, for starting a company called Fenty Entertainment, alleging that the men were attempting to profit off of her name and misleading investors about her involvement.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
14 July 2025
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Education and politics: Arizonans on student loan repayment plans can expect big changes under Big Beautiful Bill The lawsuit alleges Trump overstepped his authority in withholding funds that were approved by Congress, among other arguments.—
Stacey Barchenger,
AZCentral.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
Sprinklers simulate rain, except that sprinkler heads often throw the water horizontally.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
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The whole structure could even be rotated to simulate the motion of the stars.—
Martin Bush,
Space.com,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
After the MacArthur Park action, Trump’s disciples proclaimed victory.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 July 2025
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Though that seems quite compelling, the other side of the coin proclaims that freedom of speech surpasses any of those argued downsides.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Profess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/profess. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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