Practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about.

Confess one's faith in, or allegiance to.

Admit (to a wrongdoing).

synonyms: concede, confess.

Dutch: bekennen

State freely.

Receive into a religious order or congregation.

Take vows, as in religious order.

Dutch: professen

State insincerely:
— He professed innocence but later admitted his guilt.

synonym: pretend.

Roget 535: assert; make an assertion etc. n.; have one's say; say, affirm, predicate, declare, state; protest, profess.    put forth, put forward; advance, allege, propose, propound, enunciate, broach, set forth, hold out, maintain, contend, pronounce, pretend.    depose, depone, aver, avow, avouch, asseverate, swear; make oath, take one's oath; make an affidavit, swear an affidavit, put in an affidavit; take one's Bible oath, kiss the book, vow, vitam impendere vero [Lat.]; swear till one is black in the face, swear till one is blue in the face, swear till all's blue; be sworn, call Heaven to witness; vouch, warrant, certify, assure, swear by bell book and candle.    swear by etc. (believe) 484; insist upon, take one's stand upon; emphasize, lay stress on; assert roundly, assert positively; lay down, lay down the law; raise one's voice, dogmatize, have the last word; rap out; repeat; reassert, reaffirm.    announce etc. (information) 527; acknowledge etc. (assent) 488; attest etc. (evidence) 467; adjure etc. (put to one's oath) 768.    ... show more