oath /əʊθ $ oʊθ/ BrE AmE noun ( plural oaths /əʊðz $ oʊðz/) [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: ath ]
1 . a formal and very serious promise
oath of loyalty/allegiance/obedience etc
an oath of allegiance to the Queen
swear/take an oath
Servicemen have to swear an oath of loyalty to their country.
The president took the oath of office (=made the offiicial public promises that every president makes when starting their job) .
She could not break her oath.
2 . law a formal promise to tell the truth in a court of law
on/under oath
The evidence was given under oath.
Witnesses are required to take the oath (=make this promise) .
3 . written an offensive word or phrase that expresses anger, surprise, shock etc:
He was shouting out oaths as they led him away.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ swear/take an oath
As children, they took an oath of friendship.
▪ violate/break an oath (=do something you promised not to do)
I do not expect you to violate your oath.
▪ be bound by an oath (=have sworn an oath)
These chiefs were bound to him by oaths of loyalty.
■ phrases
▪ an oath of loyalty/allegiance/obedience
They swore an oath of allegiance to the crown.
▪ an oath of secrecy
Anyone who joined had to swear an oath of secrecy.
▪ the oath of office (=the oath a government worker swears to do a job honestly and well)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + oath
▪ a solemn oath (=a very serious oath)
He swore a solemn oath never to tell.
▪ a sacred oath (=one you swear by God)
Stephen swore a sacred oath to recognise Matilda as Queen.
▪ the presidential oath (=sworn by a new president)
the oldest person ever to take the presidential oath for the first time
▪ the coronation oath (=sworn by a king or queen when they are crowned)
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THESAURUS
▪ promise a statement that you will definitely do or provide something, which may not be reliable:
‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’ ‘Is that a promise?’
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Politicians are always making promises.
▪ pledge a public or official promise to do a particular thing in the future:
The Government has fulfilled at least 50% of its election pledges.
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We have received pledges of help from various organizations.
▪ vow a very serious promise to do something or not to do something that you choose to make:
He made a vow never to drink alcohol again.
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your marriage vows
▪ oath a formal promise, especially one that someone makes in a court of law:
Witnesses swear a solemn oath to tell the truth.
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Public officials must take an oath to support the US Constitution.
▪ undertaking a serious or public promise to do something, especially something difficult which needs a lot of effort or money:
The police have given an undertaking to reduce street crime in the city centre.
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He was made to sign a written undertaking that he would not go within a mile of her house.
▪ assurance a promise that something will happen or is true, made so that someone is less worried or more confident:
You have my assurance that it won’t happen again.
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The manager gave me his personal assurance that the goods would be delivered today.
▪ guarantee a very definite promise that something will happen. 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.:
With any diet, there’s no guarantee of success.
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I’m afraid I can’t give you a 100% guarantee.
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Is the camera still under guarantee (=within the period during which it can be repaired or replaced free) ?