profess in WordNet English dictionary

1. admit (to a wrongdoing)
   "She confessed that she had taken the money"
   concede  profess  confess 
   
2. 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"
   profess  pretend 
   
3. practice as a profession, teach, or claim to be knowledgeable about
   "She professes organic chemistry"
   profess 
   
4. take vows, as in religious order
   "she professed herself as a nun"
   profess 
   
5. confess one's faith in, or allegiance to
   "The terrorists professed allegiance to their country"; "he professes to be a Communist"
   profess 
   
6. receive into a religious order or congregation
   profess 
   
7. state freely
   "The teacher professed that he was not generous when it came to giving good grades"
   profess