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)
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proclamatoryadjective
-
self-proclaimedadjective
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self-proclaimingadjective
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unproclaimedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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proclaimsimple
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proclaimssimple
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have proclaimedperfect
-
has proclaimedperfect
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am proclaimingprogressive
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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
There is no need for a long talk to proclaim the main purpose of your institution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Letter Cresset External link April 16: Recent troubling private-credit headlines prompted market Cassandras to proclaim an incipient credit crisis.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
When, for example, Mexican-American students began to proclaim themselves Chicanos, they taught many persons in the barrios of southwestern America to imagine themselves in a new context.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Abrams even has a song called The Knife, where she proclaims she'll live with a blade "in my side", as an act of defiance.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
“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
“What we perceive as art, the universe perceives as directions,” he proclaims.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
“It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done,” the president proclaimed.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Called “Situational Awareness,” the essay proclaimed that AI would soon become more powerful than humans and that most of the world hadn’t woken up to this reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
He congratulated the team on their win, proclaimed that the people of Mayo had earned the victory and reminded them to "enjoy every minute".
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Outside the arena, digital billboards proclaimed “JusT&T Married!”
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Forty-eight years earlier, following Germany’s victory in the Franco-Prussian War, the now-defunct German Empire had been proclaimed in the same ornate hall.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
But Platner has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, proclaiming himself a changed man.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Education Department highlighted several Wednesday in a news release proclaiming that the “cycle of over-borrowing is over.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 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
Among the best-selling swag: a T-shirt declaring “Big Tech Has No Soul” and hats proclaiming “Farmland Not Data Centers.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Any second now, they’d be throwing themselves into hugs, sobbing onto each other’s shoulders, proclaiming, “Nobody understands me but you!”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
