profess
verb
pro·fess prə-ˈfes 
prō-
professed; professing; professes
transitive verb
1
: to receive formally into a religious community following a novitiate by acceptance of the required vows
2
a
: to declare or admit openly or freely : affirm
b
: to declare in words or appearances only : pretend, claim
3
: to confess one's faith in or allegiance to
4
a
: to practice or claim to be versed in (a calling or profession)
b
: to teach as a professor
intransitive verb
1
: to make a profession or avowal
2
obsolete : to profess friendship
Synonyms
- act
- affect
- assume
- bluff
- counterfeit
- dissemble
- fake
- feign
- pass (for)
- pretend
- put on
- sham
- simulate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He professes confidence in his friend. They profess loyalty to the king.
Recent Examples on the Web There's a dating app in the works for singles who want to only swipe right – for possible matches who profess conservative political leanings. 
Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 12 Aug. 2022 Remember American politicians who profess to be aghast at foreign interference in domestic U.S. politics? The Editorial Board, WSJ, 25 July 2022 Prior to Monday's hearing, Shah had continued to profess her innocence. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, 11 July 2022 At most, a new coach and front office may profess to need two years to transform a struggling team into a playoff contender. Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 30 June 2022 What better way to profess your love than with tattoo ink? Gabi Thorne, Allure, 11 July 2022 We’d be disgusted enough by the hypocrisy of those who profess empty compassion, or feign concern over mental illness, to shun them from public life. Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2022 Among the believers was actor Michael Chiklis, a Lowell native and devoted fan of all Boston sports, who took to social media to profess his love of and belief in the Celtics. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 Peterson agreed to talk to me not to profess his innocence. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 15 June 2022 See More
Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 12 Aug. 2022 Remember American politicians who profess to be aghast at foreign interference in domestic U.S. politics? The Editorial Board, WSJ, 25 July 2022 Prior to Monday's hearing, Shah had continued to profess her innocence. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, 11 July 2022 At most, a new coach and front office may profess to need two years to transform a struggling team into a playoff contender. Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes, 30 June 2022 What better way to profess your love than with tattoo ink? Gabi Thorne, Allure, 11 July 2022 We’d be disgusted enough by the hypocrisy of those who profess empty compassion, or feign concern over mental illness, to shun them from public life. Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2022 Among the believers was actor Michael Chiklis, a Lowell native and devoted fan of all Boston sports, who took to social media to profess his love of and belief in the Celtics. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 29 June 2022 Peterson agreed to talk to me not to profess his innocence. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 15 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
in sense 1, from Middle English, from profes, adjective, having professed one's vows, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin professus, from Latin, past participle of profitēri to profess, confess, from pro- before + fatēri to acknowledge; in other senses, from Latin professus, past participle — more at confess
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
profess
verb
pro·fess prə-ˈfes
professed; professing
1
: to declare openly
He professed his love.
2
: pretend sense 2
She professed to be my friend.
professing
verb
1
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of professed friendship while secretly plotting revenge Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- pretending
- assuming
- simulating
- feigning
- acting
- affecting
- shamming
- dissembling
- faking
- posing
- concealing
- counterfeiting
- making believe
- masquerading
- forging
- bluffing
- dissimulating
- putting on
- imitating
- impersonating
- playing
- disguising
- passing (for)
- playacting
- camouflaging
- masking
- letting on
- feinting
- malingering
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
- declaring
- asserting
- proclaiming
- avowing
- affirming
- announcing
- saying
- averring
- explaining
- guaranteeing
- promoting
- defending
- justifying
- upholding
- pronouncing
- advocating
- laying down
- advertising
- emphasizing
- assuring
- stressing
- espousing
- convincing
- advancing
- championing
- underlining
- underscoring
- publicizing
- persuading
- reaffirming
- supporting
- blazing
- plugging
- boosting
- avouching
- accenting
- calling
- reasserting
- accentuating
- rationalizing
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- minimizing
- ignoring
- disregarding
- neglecting
- overlooking
- understating
3
as in insisting
to state as a fact usually forcefully he professed his innocence to anyone who would listen Synonyms & Similar Words
- insisting
- alleging
- claiming
- declaring
- asserting
- maintaining
- proclaiming
- contending
- affirming
- protesting
- announcing
- purporting
- avowing
- arguing
- averring
- defending
- confirming
- warranting
- reasoning
- broadcasting
- putting forth
- justifying
- upholding
- vindicating
- persevering
- reaffirming
- rationalizing
- avouching
- supporting
- reasserting
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- denying
- abandoning
- rejecting
- disclaiming
- repudiating
- disavowing
- questioning
- negating
- refuting
- disputing
- disproving
- contradicting
- rebutting
- disowning
- challenging
- countering
- gainsaying
- negativing
- confuting