Adjacent Words

Profess definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROFESS', v.t. [L. professus, profiteor; pro and fateor.]
1. To make open declaration of; to avow or acknowledge.
Let no man who professes himself a christian, keep so heathenish a family as not to see God by daily worshipped in it.
They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him. Titus 1.
2. To declare in strong terms.
Then will I profess to them, I never knew you. Matthew 7.
3. To make a show of any sentiments by loud declaration.
To your professing bosoms I commit him.
4. To declare publicly one's skill in any art or science, for inviting employment; as, to profess one's self a physician; he professes surgery.
PROFESS', v.i. To declare friendship. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about; "She professes organic chemistry"
2: confess one's faith in, or allegiance to; "The terrorists professed allegiance to their country"; "he professes to be a Communist"
3: admit (to a wrongdoing); "She confessed that she had taken the money" [syn: concede, profess, confess]
4: state freely; "The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades"
5: receive into a religious order or congregation
6: take vows, as in religious order; "she professed herself as a nun"
7: state insincerely; "He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt"; "She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber"; "She pretends to be an expert on wine" [syn: profess, pretend]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: in sense 1, from Middle English, from profes, adjective, having professed one's vows, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin professus, from Latin, past participle of profit?ri to profess, confess, from pro- before + fat?ri to acknowledge; in other senses, from Latin professus, past participle — more at confess Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to receive formally into a religious community following a novitiate by acceptance of the required vows 2. a. to declare or admit openly or freely ; affirm b. to declare in words or appearances only ; pretend, claim 3. to confess one's faith in or allegiance to 4. a. to practice or claim to be versed in (a calling or profession) b. to teach as a professor intransitive verb 1. to make a profession or avowal 2. obsolete to profess friendship

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. claim openly to have (a quality or feeling). 2 tr. (foll. by to + infin.) pretend. 3 tr. declare (profess ignorance). 4 tr. affirm one's faith in or allegiance to. 5 tr. receive into a religious order under vows. 6 tr. have as one's profession or business. 7 a tr. teach (a subject) as a professor. b intr. perform the duties of a professor. Etymology: ME f. L profiteri profess- declare publicly (as PRO-(1), fateri confess)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profess Pro*fess", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Professed; p. pr. & vb. n. Professing.] [F. prof[`e]s, masc., professe, fem., professed (monk or nun), L. professus, p. p. of profiteri to profess; pro before, forward + fateri to confess, own. See Confess.] 1. To make open declaration of, as of one's knowledge, belief, action, etc.; to avow or acknowledge; to confess publicly; to own or admit freely. ``Hear me profess sincerely.'' --Shak. The best and wisest of them all professed To know this only, that he nothing knew. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Profess Pro*fess", v. i. 1. To take a profession upon one's self by a public declaration; to confess. --Drayton. 2. To declare friendship. [Obs.] --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(professes, professing, professed) 1. If you profess to do or have something, you claim that you do it or have it, often when you do not. (FORMAL) She professed to hate her nickname... Why do organisations profess that they care?... 'I don't know,' Pollard replied, professing innocence. ...the Republicans' professed support for traditional family values. = claim VERB: V to-inf, V that, V n, V-ed 2. If you profess a feeling, opinion, or belief, you express it. (FORMAL) He professed to be content with the arrangement... Bacher professed himself pleased with the Indian tour. ...a right to profess their faith in Islam. VERB: V to-inf, V pron-refl adj, V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Avow, acknowledge, own, confess, declare, affirm, avouch, aver, allege, proclaim. 2. Pretend, lay claim to. II. v. n. Confess, declare openly.

Moby Thesaurus

act, act a part, affect, affirm, allege, announce, annunciate, argue, assert, assever, asseverate, assume, aver, avouch, avow, bluff, claim, confess, confirm, contend, counterfeit, cover up, declare, depose, dissemble, dissimulate, enunciate, express, express the belief, fake, feign, four-flush, gammon, have, hold, insist, issue a manifesto, lay down, let on, let on like, maintain, make a pretense, make as if, make believe, make like, manifesto, offer, play, play a part, play possum, playact, predicate, present, pretend, pretext, proclaim, proffer, pronounce, protest, protest too much, purport, put, put forward, put it, put on, say, set down, set forth, sham, simulate, speak, speak out, speak up, stand for, stand on, state, submit, swear, tender, utter, vow, warrant