swear
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a solemn declaration or affirmation by some sacred being or object, as a deity or the Bible.
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to bind oneself by oath.
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to give evidence or make a statement on oath.
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to use profane oaths or language.
Don't swear in front of the children.
- Synonyms:
- imprecate
verb (used with object)
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to declare, affirm, attest, etc., by swearing by a deity, some sacred object, etc.
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to affirm, assert, or say with solemn earnestness.
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to promise or undertake on oath or in a solemn manner; vow.
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to testify or state on oath.
He swore it on the witness stand.
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to take (an oath), as in order to give solemnity or force to a declaration, promise, etc.
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to bind by an oath.
to swear someone to secrecy.
noun
verb phrase
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swear by
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to name (a sacred being or thing) as one's witness or guarantee in swearing.
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Informal. to have great confidence in; rely on.
He swears by his dentist.
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to have certain knowledge of.
I thought I saw him leaving, but I couldn't swear by it.
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swear off to promise or resolve to give up something.
I've decided to swear off the internet one day a week.
Have you sworn off red meat?
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swear in to admit to office or service by administering an oath.
A new president will be sworn in today.
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swear out to secure (a warrant for arrest) by making an accusation under oath.
verb
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to declare or affirm (a statement) as true, esp by invoking a deity, etc, as witness
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(foll by by)
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to invoke (a deity, etc) by name as a witness or guarantee to an oath
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to trust implicitly; have complete confidence (in)
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to curse, blaspheme, or use swearwords
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(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to promise solemnly on oath; vow
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(tr) to assert or affirm with great emphasis or earnestness
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(intr) to give evidence or make any statement or solemn declaration on oath
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to take an oath in order to add force or solemnity to (a statement or declaration)
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informal to assert emphatically
noun
Related Words
See curse.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of swear
First recorded before 900; Middle English sweren, Old English swerian; cognate with German schwören, Old Norse sverja; akin to Gothic swaran “to swear”; see answer
Explanation
When you take an oath about something, you swear to it, affirming its truth. Ironically, if you utter an oath, such as a curse word or obscenity, you also swear. Do you swear to put a quarter in this jar for every time you swear? The two separate meanings of swear come from branches of the same etymological tree. Both meanings have ties to Old Norse sverja, but sometime in the Middle English, the word became on one hand sweren with the meaning "to promise," while another version, swerian, became "to curse." Both might come from the idea of an oath being connected to a deity, but while one referred to truth, the other went to the dark side, negatively invoking a sacred name.
Vocabulary lists containing swear
The Presidential Oath of Office Vocabulary
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"My Brother's Keeper" and "What Price Loyalty?"
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Homesick
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was like getting the vicar to swear.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
The state does require ID when registering to vote, and residents must swear under penalty of perjury that they are eligible to vote and they are a U.S. citizen.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
“Ibrahim was here a few days ago, actually,” he told me in 2021, “and I swear I could still not look him in the eye.”
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026
“He can swear and still be a gentleman if he does it in a nice and benevolent and affectionate way.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026
“No one, I swear it. I was careful. I waited in the basement...”
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
