| verb | practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about “She professes organic chemistry” |
| verb | confess one's faith in, or allegiance to “The terrorists professed allegiance to their country” |
| verb | admit (to a wrongdoing) “She confessed that she had taken the money” |
| verb | state freely “The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades” |
| verb | receive into a religious order or congregation |
| verb | take vows, as in religious order “she professed herself as a nun” |
| verb | state insincerely “He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt” |
| professing | noun | an open avowal (true or false) of some belief or opinion |
| profession | noun | an open avowal (true or false) of some belief or opinion |
| confession | noun | a written document acknowledging an offense and signed by the guilty party |
| confessor | noun | someone who confesses (discloses information damaging to themselves) |