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swear

Syllabification: (swear)
Pronunciation: /swe(ə)r/

Translate swear | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of swear

verb (swears, swearing; past swore /swôr/; past participle sworn /swôrn/)

  • 1 [reporting verb] make a solemn statement or promise undertaking to do something or affirming that something is the case: [with clause]:Maria made me swear I would never tell anyone I swear by all I hold dear that I had nothing to do with it [with infinitive]:he swore to obey the rules [with direct speech]:“Never again,” she swore, “will I be short of money” [with object]:they were reluctant to swear allegiance
  • [with object] take (an oath):he forced them to swear an oath of loyalty to him
  • [with object] take a solemn oath as to the truth of (a statement):I asked him if he would swear a statement to this effect
  • [with object] make (someone) promise to observe a certain course of action:I’ve been sworn to secrecy
  • 2 [no object] use offensive language, especially as an expression of anger:Peter swore under his breath

Phrases

swear up and down

informal affirm something emphatically:he swore up and down they’d never get him up on that stage

Phrasal Verbs

swear by

informal have or express great confidence in the use, value, or effectiveness of:Iris swears by her yoga

swear someone in

admit someone to a particular office or position by directing them to take a formal oath:he was sworn in as president on July 10

swear off

informal promise to abstain from:I’d sworn off alcohol

swear something out

Law obtain the issue of (a warrant for arrest) by making a charge on oath.

swear to

express one’s assurance that something is the case:I couldn’t swear to it, but I’m pretty sure it’s his writing

Derivatives

swearer

noun

sweary

adjective ( informal)

Origin:

Old English swerian, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zweren, German schwören, also to answer

swear in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of swear in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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