INDEX:
1. to promise something
2. a promise
3. what you say when you promise something
4. to do what you promised to do
5. to not do what you promised to do
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ AGREE
◆◆◆
1. to promise something
▷ promise /ˈprɒmɪs, ˈprɒməsǁˈprɑː-/ [intransitive/transitive verb not usually in progressive]
to tell someone that you will definitely do something that they want you to do or expect you to do :
▪ ‘I can’t take you to the beach today, after all.’ ‘But you promised!’
promise (that)
▪ Hurry up, we promised we wouldn’t be late this time.
▪ Richardson apologized and promised that appropriate action would be taken to fix the problem.
promise to do something
▪ The government had promised to investigate the cause of the accident.
promise somebody (that)
▪ I promised the kids I’d take them to a movie.
promise somebody something
promise to give someone something
▪ I promised Jamie a ride to school this morning.
▷ assure /əˈʃʊəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to tell someone that something will definitely happen or is definitely true, so that they are less worried or more confident :
assure somebody (that)
▪ The doctor assured me that I wouldn’t feel any pain.
▪ The airline has assured travellers there will be no further delays.
▷ give somebody your word /ˌgɪv somebody jɔːʳ ˈwɜːʳd/ [verb phrase]
to promise someone very seriously and sincerely that you will do something :
▪ Campus officials had given her their word. There was to be a raise in salary each year.
give sb your word (that)
▪ I’ve given him my word that we’ll take care of the house like it was ours.
give somebody your word of honour/honor
▪ He had given her his word of honor that he would respect her wishes.
▷ swear /sweəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to make a very serious promise, especially publicly or in a law court :
swear (that)
▪ During the ceremony you swear that you will serve the country loyally.
swear to somebody (that)
▪ I swore to myself that I’d never do anything like it again.
swear to do something
▪ Do you swear to tell the truth?
swear allegiance
promise to be loyal to a country
▪ New citizens are asked to swear allegiance during the citizenship ceremony.
▷ vow /vaʊ/ [transitive verb]
to firmly promise something, especially to yourself - used especially in literature :
vow to do something
▪ Ben vowed to avenge his mother’s death.
vow (that)
▪ Daley vowed that the Police Department would be reformed.
▷ guarantee /ˌgærənˈtiː/ [transitive verb]
to promise that something will happen or be provided, because you are going to make sure of this :
▪ The king had guaranteed our safety on our journey.
guarantee (that)
▪ We guarantee that you won’t lose your jobs when the company is taken over.
▪ I can’t guarantee the plan will work, but I’ll give it a try.
guarantee somebody something
guarantee to give someone something
▪ The first emigrants to Canada were guaranteed 200 acres of land each.
guaranteed [adjective]
▪ same day delivery guaranteed
▪ The fridge is guaranteed for one year. the company that makes it promises to repair or replace it if it breaks within a year
▷ commit to /kəˈmɪt tuː/ [verb phrase]
to promise to do something that will take a long time or involve a lot of effort :
▪ Young people still need to learn how to commit to a job and have goals for themselves.
commit to to do something
▪ The organization needs volunteers who can commit to work four hours a week.
committed [adjective]
be committed to doing something
▪ The church is committed to changing the role it allows women.
▷ pledge /pledʒ/ [transitive verb]
to publicly or officially promise to give help, support, or money to an organization, group, or person :
pledge to do something
▪ Many rock stars have pledged to support the campaign to save the rainforests.
pledge something to somebody
▪ The government has pledged £500,000 worth of aid to the drought- stricken area.
pledge support/money/help etc
▪ Britain has pledged £1.3 million to the UN for refugee work.
▪ The U.S. has pledged aid to the country.
pledge allegiance
promise to be loyal to a country
▪ Should new citizens of Canada pledge allegiance to the queen of Great Britain?
2. a promise
▷ promise /ˈprɒmɪs, ˈprɒməsǁˈprɑː-/ [countable noun]
a statement telling someone that you will definitely do something that they want you to do :
▪ ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ ‘Is that a promise?’
promise of
▪ The refugees are relying on promises of food and aid from the West.
make a promise
▪ Making promises is risky for a company, but it usually does result in improved customer relations.
promise to do something
▪ Scott made a campaign promise not to raise taxes.
promise that
▪ He left with a promise that he would be back before six.
▷ assurance /əˈʃʊ ə rəns/ [countable noun]
a promise that something will definitely happen or is definitely true, which makes someone less worried or more confident :
▪ Despite all their assurances, they broke the agreement and signed a deal with a rival company.
assurance that
▪ I need an assurance that you will support me.
give somebody an assurance
▪ The manager gave me his personal assurance that the parts would be here today.
give somebody an assurance about/on
▪ His lawyer was unwilling to give him any kind of assurance about the outcome of the trial.
▷ guarantee /ˌgærənˈtiː/ [countable noun]
a promise that something will happen or be provided, because you are going to make sure of this. A guarantee is also a formal written promise by a company to repair or replace a product free if it has a fault within a fixed period of time :
guarantee that
▪ The contract contains a guarantee that the building will be finished within 6 months.
▪ After the Second World War, Belgium wanted a guarantee that it would not be invaded again.
under guarantee
within the period when a company promises to repair a product free of charge if something goes wrong
▪ Is the camera still under guarantee?
▷ commitment /kəˈmɪtmənt/ [countable noun]
a promise to do something that will take a long time or involve a lot of effort :
▪ The peace talks ended with smiles and handshakes, but no commitment.
▪ Marriage, ideally, is a lifelong commitment.
make a commitment
▪ The organization has made a commitment to plant 5,000 trees in San Francisco.
commitment to
▪ The American adviser expressed America’s commitment to Africa’s economic development.
commitment to doing something
▪ The governor has a strong commitment to creating jobs in the state.
▷ pledge /pledʒ/ [countable noun]
a public or official promise to give help, support, or money to an organization, group, or person :
▪ The Government has fulfilled at least 50% of its election pledges.
pledge of
▪ We have received pledges of help from various organizations.
pledge to do something
▪ The coup leaders have ignored their pledges to hold democratic elections.
▷ oath /əʊθ/ [countable noun]
a formal and serious promise, especially one that someone makes in a court of law :
take/swear an oath
make a promise
▪ Adams was elected to the British Parliament, but refused to swear an oath to the English Queen.
under oath
while you have made a promise to tell the truth in a court of law
▪ He admitted that he had lied under oath.
oath of office
the promises you make when you are elected to a government position
▪ The president takes the oath of office in a public ceremony.
oath to do something
▪ Public officials must take an oath to support the U.S. Constitution.
▷ undertaking /ˌʌndəʳˈteɪkɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a public or official promise to do something, especially something difficult, which needs a lot of effort or money, and that you will be responsible for making sure that it is done :
undertaking to do something
▪ Khrushchev demanded an American undertaking not to attack Cuba.
undertaking that
▪ Before we can release you, we need an undertaking that you will not leave town before the trial.
3. what you say when you promise something
▷ I promise /aɪ ˈprɒmə̇sǁ-ˈprɑː-/:
▪ ‘Promise me you’ll write to me.’ ‘I promise.’
I promise (that)
▪ I won’t go. I promise I won’t go.
▷ I give you my word/you have my word /aɪ ˌgɪv juː maɪ ˈwɜːʳd, juː ˌhæv maɪ ˈwɜːʳd/
say this when you want to make a very serious and sincere promise :
▪ You won’t regret this - I give you my word.
I give you my word/you have my word (that)
▪ I give you my word that I’ll do everything I can.
▪ Do I have your word, Mr Bigelow, that this problem will be corrected?
▷ cross my heart /ˌkrɒs maɪ ˈhɑːʳtǁˌkrɔːs-/
say this when you are making a promise to someone you know well - used especially by children :
▪ ‘Do you promise?’ ‘Cross my heart.’
▷ I swear /aɪ ˈsweəʳ/
say this when you are making a very firm promise, that you will never break. I swear is used in court :
▪ I swear that the evidence I give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
4. to do what you promised to do
▷ keep your promise/word /ˌkiːp jɔːʳ ˈprɒmə̇s, ˈwɜːʳdǁ-ˈprɑː-/ [verb phrase]
▪ She was crying because she thought he had not kept his promise.
▪ Respect your teenager’s privacy. If you promise not to tell her father, keep your word.
keep your promise/word to do something
▪ The government has kept its promise to cut taxes, but this has meant cuts in services, too.
▷ deliver /dɪˈlɪvəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to do or provide what you promised, especially in politics or business when people are uncertain whether you can do this :
▪ Election candidates frequently promise a lot more than they can deliver.
▪ The Prime Minister’s economic development strategy has not delivered the promised benefits.
deliver on a promise
▪ Yet again the management has failed to deliver on its promise to provide extra staff training.
deliver the goods
do or provide what you have promised
▪ Do you think she will be able to deliver the goods?
▷ fulfil British /fulfill American /fʊl;fɪl/ [transitive verb] formal
to do what you have promised to do or what you must do, especially in politics or business :
fulfil a pledge/promise/commitment
▪ Eisenhower finally fulfilled his campaign pledge to end the war in Korea.
▪ In the ROTC program, students fulfill a service commitment after college, in return for a scholarship from the Army or Navy.
fulfil a duty/mission
▪ The general did not have confidence that the Fourth Fleet would be able to fulfil its mission.
▷ stand by/stick to /ˈstænd baɪ, ˈstɪk tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to faithfully keep an earlier promise or agreement although there may now be reasons for not keeping it :
▪ Despite his family’s opposition, Jake stood by his promise to marry her.
▪ How could she stick to the agreement now that everything had changed so drastically?
▪ I stand by what I said during the campaign.
▷ be as good as your word /biː əz ˌgʊd əz jɔːʳ ˈwɜːʳd/ [verb phrase]
use this when you are impressed with someone for doing what they promised to do :
▪ The President promised to lower income taxes, and he’s been as good as his word.
▷ keep your side of the bargain /kiːp ˌjɔːʳ saɪd əv ðə ˈbɑːʳgə̇n/ [verb phrase]
to do what you promised to do as part of an agreement in which both sides promised to do something :
▪ The strike has ended. The employers must now keep their side of the bargain and increase overtime pay.
▷ hold somebody to /ˈhəʊld somebody tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make sure that someone does what they have promised to do :
▪ Parents and teachers need to agree on goals for students, and hold them to it.
▪ Government officials need to be held to their promises.
5. to not do what you promised to do
▷ break a promise /ˌbreɪk ə ˈprɒmə̇sǁ-ˈprɑː-/ [verb phrase]
▪ I said I’d take the girls to the movie, and I don’t like to break a promise.
break a promise to do something
▪ The government has broken its promise to reduce the size of the army.
broken promise
▪ Despite Roosevelt’s broken promise to balance the budget, he was elected president four times.
▷ go back on /gəʊ ˈbæk ɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to change your mind and not do something that you had earlier promised to do :
▪ He had gone back on his promise to stop drinking too many times.
▪ The rebels had agreed to a ceasefire, but they’ve gone back on their word.
▷ renege on /rɪˈniːg ɒnǁrɪˈnɪg-/ [transitive phrasal verb] formal
to fail to keep to officially agreed promises or responsibilities :
▪ The government has had to renege on its commitment to full employment.
▪ Kenoco Inc has reneged on its agreement to finance the film.