proclaim
Americanverb (used with object)
-
proclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
proclaimed,
past participle, past
-
proclaiming
present participle
-
to announce or declare in an official or formal manner.
to proclaim war.
- Synonyms:
- advertise
-
to announce or declare in an open or ostentatious way.
to proclaim one's opinions.
- Synonyms:
- promulgate
-
to indicate or make known publicly or openly.
-
to extol or praise publicly.
Let them proclaim the Lord.
-
to declare (a territory, district, etc.) subject to particular legal restrictions.
-
to declare to be an outlaw, evildoer, or the like.
-
to denounce or prohibit publicly.
verb (used without object)
-
proclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
proclaimed,
past participle, past
-
proclaiming
present participle
verb
-
(may take a clause as object) to announce publicly
-
(may take a clause as object) to show or indicate plainly
-
to praise or extol
Synonym Usage
See announce.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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proclaimernoun
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proclamationnoun
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reproclaimverb (used with object)
-
proclamatoryadjective
-
self-proclaimedadjective
-
self-proclaimingadjective
-
unproclaimedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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proclaimsimple
-
proclaimssimple
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have proclaimedperfect
-
has proclaimedperfect
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am proclaimingprogressive
-
are proclaimingprogressive
-
is proclaimingprogressive
-
have been proclaimingperfect progressive
-
has been proclaimingperfect progressive
Past
-
proclaimedsimple
-
had proclaimedperfect
-
was proclaimingprogressive
-
were proclaimingprogressive
-
had been proclaimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of proclaim
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prōclāmāre “to cry out”; equivalent to pro- 1 + claim
Explanation
"I proclaim the Olympic Games open." Every two years with words similar to these, the Olympic games officially begin. To proclaim is to exclaim or declare. When you proclaim something, you are saying it loud and clear and in public. A doctor can proclaim you healthy after you have recovered from a long illness. The panel of judges may have trouble proclaiming the winner in a very tight race. What you are saying out loud can be called a proclamation. Proclamations were once only made by Kings or other ruling leaders which is why the word proclaim has an official feeling to it.
Vocabulary lists containing proclaim
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"We are here to proclaim Luque's innocence, not with television slogans, but with the evidence that supports it," Rallin said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
The scholar’s obligation is therefore not to proclaim truth, but to report evidence honestly, acknowledge uncertainty and remain open to correction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The rapid advances in AI spurred some industry leaders to proclaim that machine intelligence would wipe out millions of jobs almost overnight.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
“We are happy to right this wrong and proclaim ‘Blazing Saddles’ the funniest film of all time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Suddenly he regrets having ever told Moushumi; he wonders whether she’ll proclaim the story of his father’s accident to the table as well.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
You also have another series, called The Best of AI: Animation, that calls its entries “human in spirit” and proclaims that “another cinematic language is being written right now.”
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026
Above downtown's historic Lamplight Theatre, a sign proclaims "Jesus first in all things".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Cunningham proclaims herself as a warrior for “common sense” by fighting off a scourge that no one can see.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
“I don’t want a break, I want to stop,” Ilana proclaims.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
“What we perceive as art, the universe perceives as directions,” he proclaims.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
After Sept. 11, 2001, in the financial crisis of 2008-09 and during the Covid crash of 2020, financial pundits proclaimed that nothing would ever be the same again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The protest organising committee, which calls itself SADAR, meaning "aware" in Bahasa Indonesia, said the action was meant to mark a "revolution that is being proclaimed".
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
It began to unfold decades ago, well before Francis Fukuyama proclaimed the “end of history.”
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
"The kids are not learning their math facts because they're becoming calculator hooked," he proclaimed.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
In a surreptitious meeting with Pizarro, Thupa Wallpa proclaimed that he was Washkar’s legitimate heir.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
After proclaiming for years that he was done with the role after the 2002 movie, “Star Trek: Nemesis,” he agreed to return to the character for the streaming series, “Star Trek: Picard.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
“But today justice took a different form: setting aside a wrongful conviction and proclaiming a man factually innocent of attempted murder charges brought over a decade before.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
"It's a serious storm," Governor Josh Green said, proclaiming a state of emergency to ensure the state and its counties "have sufficient resources to clear debris, secure infrastructure, and take other measures to prepare."
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
But Platner has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, proclaiming himself a changed man.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Our voices rose together as one, proclaiming faith, joining in grief.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
