proclamation

American  

[prok-luh-may-shuhn] / ˌprɒk ləˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

• proclamations
  plural

1. 

   something that is proclaimed; a public and official announcement.

2. the act of proclaiming.

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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

• reproclamation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• proclamations
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

proclamation proclamations

They sought to satisfy Polish national ambitions, for example, with the proclamation of a Kingdom of Poland in late 1916.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Her proclamation of optimism comes on the heels of her having been released in December from a brutal Belarusian prison for supporting an opposition candidate running against the country’s authoritarian leader.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

After the result was declared on Friday, his party appealed against the electoral court's proclamation, calling for the vote to be nullified.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Hathaway’s gospel-infused arrangement and call-and-response with a crowd at the Troubadour transformed Carole King’s song from a private promise into a proclamation of Black resilience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

But this duty, Creon’s proclamation said, was changed in the cause of Polyneices to a crime.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

The tariff changes will take effect Sept. 15, according to proclamations posted on the White House website, while the trade prohibitions are set to kick in on Sept. 29.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Around Angel’s old barber chair, just about every inch of wall space is occupied by proclamations and photos.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026

Spelling mistakes and formatting errors throughout the proclamations have made identifying exempted plants a guessing game.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

The court starts with grand judicial maximalist proclamations from the founding about how it’s the duty of courts, especially Virginia courts, to decide legal questions.

From Slate ● May 8, 2026

I had walked past her church before and heard music spilling from the falling-down clapboard building; the spirited singing and proclamations of joy emerging from it beat the other churches all hollow, to my mind.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

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Related Words

• decree
• edict
• manifesto
• notification
• promulgation
• pronouncement
• publication

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