[verb] - to claim (something), sometimes in a way which is not sincereShe professes not to be interested in money. [+ to infinitive]I don't profess to know all the details about the case. [+ to infinitive]She professes ignorance of the whole affair, though I'm not sure I believe her. [T]
PROFESS
Meaning of PROFESS in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012