profess
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to lay claim to, often insincerely; pretend to.
He professed extreme regret.
-
to declare openly; announce or affirm; avow or acknowledge.
to profess one's satisfaction.
-
to affirm faith in or allegiance to (a religion, God, etc.).
-
to declare oneself skilled or expert in; claim to have knowledge of; make (a thing) one's profession or business.
-
to teach as a professor.
She professes comparative literature.
-
to receive or admit into a religious order.
verb (used without object)
-
to make a profession, avowal, or declaration.
-
to take the vows of a religious order.
verb
-
to affirm or announce (something, such as faith); acknowledge
to profess ignorance
to profess a belief in God
-
(tr) to claim (something, such as a feeling or skill, or to be or do something), often insincerely or falsely
to profess to be a skilled driver
-
to receive or be received into a religious order, as by taking vows
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
professsimple
-
professessimple
-
have professedperfect
-
has professedperfect
-
am professingprogressive
-
are professingprogressive
-
is professingprogressive
-
have been professingperfect progressive
-
has been professingperfect progressive
Past
-
professedsimple
-
had professedperfect
-
was professingprogressive
-
were professingprogressive
-
had been professingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of profess
1400–50; late Middle English; back formation from professed
Explanation
To profess is to declare something, often insincerely. Your joy on the last day of school might lead you to profess that you'll truly miss seeing all the people who annoyed you all year. You can profess something and mean it, but more often the verb profess is used when someone lies about their true feelings. You might profess your love of your grandmother's tuna casserole, or profess that you never bite your fingernails, but you're just saying what you think people want to hear. The original meaning of profess described taking religious vows, and came from the Latin word professus, meaning "having declared publicly."
Vocabulary lists containing profess
Words That Could Go Either Way: Synonyms for "Maybe"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Taming of the Shrew
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"Allow me to introduce you to Profess Amos Henderson's famous submarine, the Porpoise," spoke the inventor with a bow.
From Under the Ocean to the South Pole Or, the Strange Cruise of the Submarine Wonder by Rockwood, Roy
Profess to discuss them with Mr. Harper—but let the discussion be all on your side.
From The Talleyrand Maxim by Fletcher, J. S. (Joseph Smith)
Profess yourself the disinterested friend of a man—make him believe that you value his friendship for its own sake and, on that ground, invite him to your home as your honored guest.
From Helen of the Old House by Wright, Harold Bell
Your picked twelve, you'll find, Profess themselves indignant, scandalized At thus being held unable to explain How a superior man who disbelieves May not believe as well: that's Schelling's way!
From Browning's England A Study in English Influences in Browning by Clarke, Helen Archibald
Profess not thou that any Greek was there To fall on us.
From The Rhesus of Euripedes by Euripedes
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.
