profess

American  

[pruh-fes] / prəˈfɛs /

verb (used with object)

1. to lay claim to, often insincerely; pretend to.

   He professed extreme regret.

   Synonyms:

   avow, purport, allege, claim

2. to declare openly; announce or affirm; avow or acknowledge.

   to profess one's satisfaction.

3. to affirm faith in or allegiance to (a religion, God, etc.).

4. to declare oneself skilled or expert in; claim to have knowledge of; make (a thing) one's profession or business.

5. to teach as a professor.

   She professes comparative literature.

6. to receive or admit into a religious order.

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verb (used without object)

1. to make a profession, avowal, or declaration.

2. to take the vows of a religious order.

profess British  

/ prəˈfɛs /

verb

1. to affirm or announce (something, such as faith); acknowledge

   to profess ignorance

   to profess a belief in God

2. (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

3. to receive or be received into a religious order, as by taking vows

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Other Word Forms

• preprofess verb (used with object)
• unprofessing adjective

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."

Example Sentences

“We profess to be the best in the world in this sport,” U.S. general manager Michael Hill said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

Both Melling and Lighton profess gratitude that a star of Skarsgård’s profile wanted to be part of “Pillion.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

Liebling didn’t profess to be the best wordsmith who ever lived, but he did say that he could write faster than anyone who could write better.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

On one hand, there’s the recent Harris Poll that found 72% of Americans profess an interest in soccer, a 17% increase from 2020.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2025

“To profess what?” asked the King of the Moat slowly, hardly opening his jaws and speaking through his nose.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• acknowledge
• admit
• affirm
• avow
• confess
• feign
• pretend
• proclaim
• stump