swear
(redirected from swears)Also found in: Thesaurus, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
Related to swears: Sears
swear
(swâr)v. swore (swôr), sworn (swôrn), swear·ing, swears
v.intr.
1. To make a solemn declaration, invoking a deity or a sacred person or thing, in confirmation of and witness to the honesty or truth of such a declaration.
2. To make a solemn promise; vow.
3. To use obscene or blasphemous language; curse.
4. Law To commit oneself by oath to giving evidence or testimony that is truthful.
v.tr.
1.
a. To declare or affirm solemnly by invoking a deity or a sacred person or thing: swore on the Bible that he would tell the truth.
b. To say or affirm earnestly and with great conviction: I swear that I will pay you back.
2. To promise or pledge with a solemn oath; vow: He swore to do his duty. See Synonyms at promise.
3. To utter or bind oneself to (an oath).
4. Law To administer a legal oath to: All the witnesses have been sworn.
n.
Phrasal Verbs: A swearword.
swear at
To use vulgar language against; curse:
swear by
1. To have great reliance on or confidence in: He swears by his personal physician.
2. To have reliable knowledge of; be sure of: I think she left early, but I couldn't swear by it.
3. To take an oath by: He swore by all the angels and saints of heaven.
swear in
To administer a legal or official oath to: swear in a mayor.
swear off Informal
To pledge to renounce or give up: She has sworn off cigarettes.
swear out Law
1. To attest to (an affidavit or complaint) by oath.
2. To swear to evidence under oath in order to obtain (a warrant for arrest).
swear′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
swear
(swɛə)vb, swears, swearing, swore or sworn
1. to declare or affirm (a statement) as true, esp by invoking a deity, etc, as witness
2. (foll by by)
a. to invoke (a deity, etc) by name as a witness or guarantee to an oath
b. to trust implicitly; have complete confidence (in)
3. (often foll by: at) to curse, blaspheme, or use swearwords
4. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to promise solemnly on oath; vow
5. (tr) to assert or affirm with great emphasis or earnestness
6. (Law) (intr) to give evidence or make any statement or solemn declaration on oath
7. (Law) to take an oath in order to add force or solemnity to (a statement or declaration)
8. swear blind informal to assert emphatically
n
a period of swearing
[Old English swerian; related to Old Norse sverja, Gothic swaran, Old Frisian swera, German schwören]
ˈswearer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
swear
(swɛər)v. swore, sworn, swear•ing. v.i.
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; vow.
3. to give evidence or make a statement on oath.
4. to use profane oaths or language.
v.t. 5. to declare, affirm, etc., by swearing by a deity or a sacred object.
6. to testify or state on oath.
7. to affirm, assert, or say with solemn earnestness.
8. to promise on oath; vow.
9. to take (an oath).
10. to bind by an oath: swore them to secrecy.
11. swear by,
a. to name (a sacred being or object) as one's witness or guarantee in swearing.
b. to have great confidence in.
12. swear in, to admit to office or service by administering an oath.
13. swear off, to promise to give up (something, esp. intoxicating beverages).
14. swear out, to secure (a warrant for arrest) by making an accusation under oath.
[before 900; Middle English sweren, Old English swerian, c. Old Frisian swaria, Old Saxon, Old High German swerian, Old Norse sverja; akin to Gothic swaran to swear; compare answer]
swear′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
swear
Past participle: sworn
Gerund: swearing
| Imperative |
|---|
| swear |
| swear |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. |  swear - utter obscenities or profanities; "The drunken men were cursing loudly in the street"blaspheme - speak of in an irreverent or impious manner; "blaspheme God" give tongue to, utter, express, verbalise, verbalize - articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise; "She expressed her anger"; "He uttered a curse" |
| 2. |  swear - to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true; "Before God I swear I am innocent"hold - assert or affirm; "Rousseau's philosophy holds that people are inherently good" attest - authenticate, affirm to be true, genuine, or correct, as in an official capacity; "I attest this signature" declare - state firmly; "He declared that he was innocent" declare - state emphatically and authoritatively; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with" protest - affirm or avow formally or solemnly; "The suspect protested his innocence" | |
| 3. | swear - promise solemnly; take an oath vow - make a vow; promise; "He vowed never to drink alcohol again" swear off - promise to abstain from; "I have sworn off cigarettes altogether" | |
| 4. | swear - make a deposition; declare under oath declare - state emphatically and authoritatively; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with" | |
| 5. |  swear - have confidence or faith in; "We can trust in God"; "Rely on your friends"; "bank on your good education"; "I swear by my grandmother's recipes"believe - accept as true; take to be true; "I believed his report"; "We didn't believe his stories from the War"; "She believes in spirits" credit - have trust in; trust in the truth or veracity of lean - rely on for support; "We can lean on this man" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
swear
verb
1. curse, cuss (informal), blaspheme, turn the air blue (informal), be foul-mouthed, take the Lord's name in vain, utter profanities, imprecate It is wrong to swear and shout.
2. vow, promise, take an oath, warrant, testify, depose, attest, avow, give your word, state under oath, pledge yourself Alan swore that he would do everything in his power to help us.
3. declare, assert, affirm, swear blind, asseverate I swear I've told you all I know.
swear by something believe in, trust, depend on, rely on, have confidence in, have faith in, put your faith in, set store by, rate Many people swear by vitamin C's ability to ward off colds.
swear someone in install, inaugurate, establish, adopt, invest, ordain, consecrate, induct, enthrone She has been formally sworn in as Ireland's first woman president.
Quotations
"Swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon" [William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet]
"As he knew not what to say, he swore" [Lord Byron The Island]
"Swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon" [William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet]
"As he knew not what to say, he swore" [Lord Byron The Island]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
swear
verb1. To guarantee by a solemn promise:
Idiom: give one's word of honor.
swear off
Informal. To cease trying to accomplish or continue:
Slang: lay off.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَحْلِف، يُقْسِميَشْتُميَشْتِمُ
псувам
klítnadávatpřísahat
sværgebande
kiroillavannoa
psovati
esküszikkáromkodikszitkozódik
sverjablóta
ののしる
맹세하다
duotas priesaikos būduprisaikdintiprisiektišventai tikėti
lādētieslamātieszvērēt
preklinjatipriseči
svära
สบถ
küfretmeksövüp saymakyemin etmek
chửi thề
swear
[swɛəʳ] (swore (pt) (sworn (pp)))A. VT → jurar
I swear it! → ¡lo juro!
I swear (that) I did not steal it → juro que no lo robé
to swear to do sth → jurar hacer algo
I could have sworn that it was Janet → juraría que fue Janet
to swear sb to secrecy → hacer que algn jure guardar el secreto
to swear allegiance to → jurar lealtad a
they swore an oath of allegiance to him → le prestaron juramento de fidelidad
they swore an oath not to fight again → juraron no volver a pelear
I swear it! → ¡lo juro!
I swear (that) I did not steal it → juro que no lo robé
to swear to do sth → jurar hacer algo
I could have sworn that it was Janet → juraría que fue Janet
to swear sb to secrecy → hacer que algn jure guardar el secreto
to swear allegiance to → jurar lealtad a
they swore an oath of allegiance to him → le prestaron juramento de fidelidad
they swore an oath not to fight again → juraron no volver a pelear
B. VI
swear by VI + PREP → tener plena confianza en, creer ciegamente en
swear in VT + ADV [+ witness, president] → tomar juramento a, juramentar a
to be sworn in → prestar juramento
to be sworn in → prestar juramento
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
swear
[ˈswɛər] [swore] (pt) [sworn] (pp) vi
vt
(= promise) [+ allegiance, revenge] → jurer
to swear an oath → prêter serment
to swear (that) ... → jurer que ...
to swear an oath → prêter serment
to swear (that) ... → jurer que ...
(= make promise) to swear sb to secrecy → faire promettre le secret à qn
to swear sb to silence → faire promettre à qn de garder le silence
to swear sb to silence → faire promettre à qn de garder le silence
swear in
vt sep (LAW) → assermenterswear word swearword [ˈswɛərwɜːrd] n → gros mot m, juron mCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
swear
vb: pret <swore>, ptp <sworn>vt
allegiance, love, revenge → schwören; oath → leisten, schwören; I swear it! → ich kann das beschwören!
vi
(= use solemn oath) → schwören; to swear on the Bible → auf die Bibel schwören; to swear by all one holds dear → schwören bei allem, was einem lieb ist; to swear to something → etw beschwören; to swear blind or (US) up and down that … (inf) → Stein und Bein schwören, dass … (inf)
(= use swearwords) → fluchen (→ about über +acc); to swear at somebody/something → jdn/etw beschimpfen
n to have a (good) swear → (tüchtig) fluchen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
swear
[swɛəʳ] (swore (pt) (sworn (pp)))1. vt (gen) → giurare
to swear an oath → prestare giuramento
I swear it! → lo giuro!
I swear (that) I did not steal it → giuro che non l'ho rubato, giuro di non averlo rubato
to swear to do sth → promettere di fare qc
I could have sworn that was Louise → avrei giurato che fosse Louise
to swear sb to secrecy → far giurare a qn di mantenere il segreto
to swear an oath → prestare giuramento
I swear it! → lo giuro!
I swear (that) I did not steal it → giuro che non l'ho rubato, giuro di non averlo rubato
to swear to do sth → promettere di fare qc
I could have sworn that was Louise → avrei giurato che fosse Louise
to swear sb to secrecy → far giurare a qn di mantenere il segreto
2. vi
a. (solemnly, witness) → giurare
to swear on the Bible → giurare sulla Bibbia
to swear to the truth of sth → giurare che qc è vero
I can't swear to it → non posso giurarlo
to swear on the Bible → giurare sulla Bibbia
to swear to the truth of sth → giurare che qc è vero
I can't swear to it → non posso giurarlo
b. (use swearwords) to swear (at sb) → bestemmiare or imprecare (contro qn), dire parolacce (a qn)
to swear like a trooper → bestemmiare come uno scaricatore di porto
to swear like a trooper → bestemmiare come uno scaricatore di porto
swear by vi + prep (fam) my mother swears by hot baths for backache → mia madre dice che non c'è rimedio migliore di un bagno caldo contro il mal di schiena
swear in vt + adv (jury, witness, president) → prestare giuramento
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
swear
(sweə) – past tense swore (swoː) : past participle sworn (swoːn) – verb1. to state, declare, or promise solemnly with an oath, or very definitely and positively. The witness must swear to tell the truth; He swore an oath of loyalty; Swear never to reveal the secret; I could have sworn (= I'm sure) she was here a minute ago.
2. to use the name of God and other sacred words, or obscene words, for emphasis or abuse; to curse. Don't swear in front of the children!
sworn (swoːn) adjective1. (of friends, enemies etc) (determined, as if) having taken an oath always to remain so. They are sworn enemies.
2. (of evidence, statements etc) given by a person who has sworn to tell the truth. The prisoner made a sworn statement.
ˈswear-word noun a word used in cursing. `Damn' is a mild swear-word.
swear by1. to appeal to (eg God) as a witness of one's words. I swear by Heaven that I'm innocent.
2. to put complete trust in (a remedy etc). She swears by aspirin for all the children's illnesses.
swear in to introduce (a person) into a post or office formally, by making him swear an oath. The new Governor is being sworn in next week.
swear to to make a solemn statement, with an oath, in support of. I'll swear to the truth of what he said; I think he was here this morning, but I wouldn't like to swear to it.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
swear
→ يَشْتِمُ nadávat sværge fluchen ορκίζομαι jurar kiroilla jurer psovati giurare ののしる 맹세하다 vloeken banne przysiąc dizer palavrões, xingar клясться svära สบถ küfretmek chửi thề 宣誓Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009