profess: Meaning and Definition of

pro•fess

1. to lay claim to, often insincerely; pretend to: He professed extreme regret.
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.

1. to make a profession, avowal, or declaration.
2. to take the vows of a religious order.