profess definition

1. practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about
• examples: She professes organic chemistry
2. confess one's faith in, or allegiance to
• examples: The terrorists professed allegiance to their country
• examples: he professes to be a Communist
3. state freely
• examples: The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades
4. receive into a religious order or congregation
5. take vows, as in religious order
• examples: she professed herself as a nun
6. state insincerely
• examples: He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt
• examples: She pretended not to have known the suicide bomber
• examples: She pretends to be an expert on wine