proclaim
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
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
-
proclaimernoun
-
proclamationnoun
-
reproclaimverb (used with object)
-
proclamatoryadjective
-
self-proclaimedadjective
-
self-proclaimingadjective
-
unproclaimedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
proclaimsimple
-
proclaimssimple
-
have proclaimedperfect
-
has proclaimedperfect
-
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
Power Prefix: pro
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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:
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
After overcoming each temptation, he goes to Galilee to proclaim God’s word.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
And he coached basketball, so he would proclaim this with a ball slung under his arm, wearing a jersey that featured his exuberantly hairy shoulders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
There is no need for a long talk to proclaim the main purpose of your institution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
"So be it. You defy the king's command, and so proclaim yourselves rebels, black cloaks or no."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
“Lincoln was a feared wrestler who competed in hundreds of matches,” one such video proclaims.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
He stands up in the synagogue in Nazareth and proclaims release for the captive, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Money is the focus in the tracks like “La Moneda,” with Joel’s voice echoing through the backdrop as he proclaims that cash might change some tacky, incompetent chumps, but not him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
In Savannah: On a park bench in Chippewa Square, Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks, proclaims, “Life is like a box of chocolates.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
Because I have deceived you and cannot deny all she proclaims, you may believe the more.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Out one side of her mouth CEO Mary Barra once proclaimed GM’s all-electric future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
French artist Anne-Sophie Cochevelou, external, one of Kreitzman's mentees, was wearing gold platform shoes which she proudly proclaimed she could cycle there in.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
He proclaimed “there was a lot of love in that room,” later telling the press, “They said, ‘We love you, sir, we love you.’
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Bears Ears, which covers 1.35 million acres, was proclaimed in 2016 under then-president Barack Obama on the basis of its cultural sites sacred to Indigenous tribes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
The first is the genome of the DNA in chromosomes, the genome of the famous human genome project, which proclaimed its success with great fanfare in 2000.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
But Platner has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, proclaiming himself a changed man.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Wearing T-shirts proclaiming "Victim exploitation does not equal victim advocacy", the parents of Gabby Petito have their own booth to promote their foundation, which supports missing persons cases and domestic violence prevention.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
A no-doubter, proclaiming that his availability was no longer in doubt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2026
When virtually every CEO of every company of any size is proclaiming a need to “transform.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
He noticed that the houses had started to gain pillars out front, that even the shabbiest, thinnest house now had its white pillars, proclaiming it, in someone’s eyes, a mansion.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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.
