proclamation
Americannoun
-
something that is proclaimed; a public and official announcement.
-
the act of proclaiming.
Usage
What does proclamation mean? A proclamation is an official announcement made in public. Proclamation is the noun form of the verb proclaim, meaning to announce or declare something in an official or formal manner. Proclamations are typically made by public officials. Like the similar word announcement, proclamation is often used with the verb make. Example: The mayor called a press conference to issue a proclamation declaring an official citywide day of celebration for the new champions of baseball.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of proclamation
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English proclamacioun (from Middle French proclamacion, ) from Latin prōclāmātiōn- (stem of prōclāmātiō ), equivalent to prōclāmāt(us) (past participle of prōclāmāre “to cry out, proclaim ”) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A proclamation is a formal public statement. If the mayor of your town issued a proclamation honoring the state champion field hockey team, this is an official statement of praise and celebration. A major statement made in front of an audience or the authoritative word on some subject is a proclamation. It's usually used in an official or government context, although an ordinary person can also make a proclamation, like your proclamation that you'll never dance again after your embarrassment at last week's hip hop recital. The root is proclaim, declare publicly, though the i is dropped in proclamation.
Vocabulary lists containing proclamation
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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The American Civil War
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The Emancipation Proclamation (1862)
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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.
While President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, the proclamation didn’t apply to border states loyal to the Union.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
Not every enslaved person actually gained their freedom after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
Soskin’s great-grandmother, Leontine Breaux Allen, was born into slavery in Louisiana and freed by the Emancipation Proclamation.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
In 1982, Reagan issued Proclamation 4908 to declare March 21 Afghanistan Day.
From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025
Dunmore’s Proclamation actually pushed many slaveholders who were on the fence about supporting the rebellion over to the patriot side.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
