I. ˈswe(ə)r, ˈswa(a)(ə)r, ˈsweə, ˈswa(a)ə verb
( swore ˈswō(ə)r, ˈswȯ(ə)r, ˈswōə, ˈswȯ(ə) ; or archaic sware pronounced like swear ; sworn ˈswȯ(ə)rn, ˈswȯ(ə)n ; swearing ; swears )
Etymology: Middle English sweren, from Old English swerian; akin to Old High German swerien, swerren to swear, Old Norse sverja to swear, svara to answer, Gothic swaran to swear, Oscan sverrunei (dative) speaker, and perhaps to Old English swearm swarm — more at swarm
transitive verb
1. : to utter or take solemnly (an oath)
the queen swears the oath at the high altar — Newsweek
2.
a. : to solemnly declare or assert as true : affirm with an oath
swore Monday to the banking committee he didn't yet know why he was fired — Wall Street Journal
a sworn affidavit
b. : to make a solemn promise of : pledge sacredly
swore to uphold the Constitution
c. : to assert or promise emphatically or earnestly : asseverate
swears that such action will cause the meat to shrivel in the cooking — American Guide Series: North Carolina
swore to pay the money back soon
3.
a. : to put to an oath : administer an oath to
swear the witness
swore him to secrecy
b. : to bind by a formal oath to the proper performance of a duty, function, or office especially in connection with the law
swore the jury
two years later he was sworn to the bar — Time
4. obsolete : to invoke the name of (a sacred being) in an oath
now by Apollo, King, thou swear'st thy gods in vain — Shakespeare
5. : to bring into a specified or implied state by swearing
swore himself into a fit of apoplexy
swore his life away
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to make a solemn promise or statement of intention : vow
stay, sir, do not promise — do not swear — Robert Browning
b. : to utter a solemn declaration with an appeal to God or a god for the truth of what is stated : affirm solemnly by something regarded as sacred
2. : to give evidence or state under oath or to subscribe under the penalties of perjury
3. : to use profane, blasphemous, or obscene language : curse
not in the habit of swearing even in his thoughts — LeRoy Smith
Synonyms:
affirm , asseverate , depose , testify : to swear is to give a solemn pledge, especially before a court, often with an appeal to God or by laying one's hand on the Bible
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States — U.S.Constitution
would have to make a statement and swear to it — Margaret Deland
To affirm is to state solemnly and with conviction, especially before a court although without reference to God or like gestures
must annually affirm his belief in a fundamentalist interpretation of the Scriptures — American Guide Series: Tennessee
the National Grange has again affirmed its conviction that the farmers' best hope for the future is in self-help — Christian Science Monitor
To asseverate is to affirm earnestly and emphatically
asseverating her innocence, and the innocence of her governess — Edith Sitwell
asseverated that he had there become a mighty horseman — Osbert Sitwell
To depose is to make a statement, as an affidavit or deposition, in writing or under oath
the witness deposed that she had seen the man fire the shot
the policeman called by the prosecutor's servant deposed to finding the prosecutor bruised and bleeding — Arthur Morrison
To testify is to give evidence, often on the witness stand or in a deposition and usually under oath or under penalties of perjury, or as if in such circumstances
the following June he testified in favor of a Congressional bill providing for military advice and assistance to China — Current Biography
he offered affidavits from various individuals, including his parish priest, testifying to his good character — John Warner
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- swear at
- swear by
- swear for
- swear off
- swear the peace against
II. noun
( -s )
1. : oath
do you think I would stand here and say that swear and tell a story — Carson McCullers
2. : a swearword or a fit of swearing
finally the butler's suave voice … provoked a full-bodied swear — McClure's