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swear - 6 dictionary results
swear
[swair] 
verb, swore or (Archaic
) sware; sworn; swear⋅ing.–verb (used without object)
| 1. | to make a solemn declaration or affirmation by some sacred being or object, as a deity or the Bible. |
| 2. | to bind oneself by oath. |
| 3. | to give evidence or make a statement on oath. |
| 4. | to use profane oaths or language: Don't swear in front of the children. |
–verb (used with object)
—Verb phrases| 5. | to declare, affirm, attest, etc., by swearing by a deity, some sacred object, etc. |
| 6. | to affirm, assert, or say with solemn earnestness. |
| 7. | to promise or undertake on oath or in a solemn manner; vow. |
| 8. | to testify or state on oath: He swore it on the witness stand. |
| 9. | to take (an oath), as in order to give solemnity or force to a declaration, promise, etc. |
| 10. | to bind by an oath: to swear someone to secrecy. |
| 11. | swear by,
|
| 12. | swear in, to admit to office or service by administering an oath: A new president will be sworn in today. |
| 13. | swear off, to promise or resolve to give up something, esp. intoxicating beverages. |
| 14. | swear out, to secure (a warrant for arrest) by making an accusation under oath. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To swear
| swear (swâr) v. swore (swôr, swōr), sworn (swôrn, swōrn), swear·ing, swears v. intr.
Phrasal Verb(s): swear atTo use abusive, violent, or blasphemous language against; curse. swear by
swear off Informal To pledge to renounce or give up: She has sworn off cigarettes. swear out Law To obtain (a warrant for arrest) by making a charge under oath. [Middle English sweren, from Old English swerian; see swer- in Indo-European roots.] swear'er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Swear
Swear\, v. i. [imp. Swore, formerly Sware; p. p. Sworn; p. pr. & vb. n. Swearing.] [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schw["o]ren, Icel. sverja, Sw. sv["a]rja, Dan. sv[ae]rge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. [root]177. Cf. Answer.]1. To affirm or utter a solemn declaration, with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed; to make a promise, threat, or resolve on oath; also, to affirm solemnly by some sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the Bible, the Koran, etc. Ye shall swear by my name falsely. --Lev. xix. 12. I swear by all the Roman gods. --Shak. 2. (Law) To give evidence on oath; as, to swear to the truth of a statement; he swore against the prisoner. 3. To make an appeal to God in an irreverant manner; to use the name of God or sacred things profanely; to call upon God in imprecation; to curse. [I] swore little; diced not above seven times a week. --Shak. To swear by, to place great confidence in a person or thing; to trust implicitly as an authority. "I simply meant to ask if you are one of those who swear by Lord Verulam." --Miss Edgeworth. To swear off, to make a solemn vow, or a serious resolution, to abstain from something; as, to swear off smoking. [Slang]Swear
Swear\, v. t. 1. To utter or affirm with a solemn appeal to God for the truth of the declaration; to make (a promise, threat, or resolve) under oath. Swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me. --Gen. xxi. 23. He swore consent to your succession. --Shak. 2. (Law) To put to an oath; to cause to take an oath; to administer an oath to; -- ofetn followed by in or into; as, to swear witnesses; to swear a jury; to swear in an officer; he was sworn into office. 3. To declare or charge upon oath; as, he swore treason against his friend. --Johnson. 4. To appeal to by an oath. Now, by Apollo, king, Thou swear'st thy gods in vain. --Shak. To swear the peace against one, to make oath that one is under the actual fear of death or bodily harm from the person, in which case the person must find sureties that he will keep the peace.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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swear
O.E. swerian "take an oath" (class VI strong verb; past tense swor, pp. sworen), from P.Gmc. *swarjanan, from root *swar- (cf. O.S. swerian, O.N. sverja, Dan. sverge, O.Fris. swera, M.Du. swaren, O.H.G. swerien, Ger. schwören, Goth. swaren "to swear"), from PIE base *swer- "to speak, say" (cf. O.C.S. svara "quarrel"). Also related to the second element in answer. The secondary sense of "use bad language" (c.1430) developed from the notion of "invoke sacred names." Swear-word is Amer.Eng. colloquial from 1883. Swear off "desist as with a vow" is from 1898.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: swear
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: swore; sworn; swear·ing
Etymology: Old English swerian
transitive verb 1 : to utter or take solemnly <swear an oath>
2 a : to assert as true or promise under oath sworn affidavit> b : to assert or promise emphatically or earnestly <swore to uphold the constitution>
3 a : to put to an oath b : to bind by an oath intransitive verb : to take an oath
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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