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SWEAR
count, bet, depend, swear, rely, bank, look, calculate, reckon
(verb) have faith or confidence in; āyou can count on me to help you any timeā; āLook to your friends for supportā; āYou can bet on that!ā; āDepend on your family in times of crisisā
curse, cuss, blaspheme, swear, imprecate
(verb) utter obscenities or profanities; āThe drunken men were cursing loudly in the streetā
swear
(verb) promise solemnly; take an oath
affirm, verify, assert, avow, aver, swan, swear
(verb) to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true; āBefore God I swear I am innocentā
swear, depose, depone
(verb) make a deposition; declare under oath
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Verb
swear (third-person singular simple present swears, present participle swearing, simple past (archaic) sware or swore, past participle sworn)
(ambitransitive) To take an oath, to promise.
(ambitransitive) To use offensive, profane, or obscene language.
Usage notes
• In sense 1, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See English catenative verbs
Synonyms
• See also swear word
• See also swear
Etymology 2
Noun
swear (plural swears)
A swear word.
Etymology 3
Adjective
swear (comparative swearer or more swear, superlative swearest or most swear)
(UK dialectal) Heavy.
(UK dialectal) Top-heavy; too high.
(UK dialectal) Dull; heavy; lazy; slow; reluctant; unwilling.
(UK dialectal) Niggardly.
(UK dialectal) A lazy time; a short rest during working hours (especially field labour); a siesta.
Verb
swear (third-person singular simple present swears, present participle swearing, simple past and past participle sweared)
(UK dialectal) To be lazy; rest for a short while during working hours.
Anagrams
• resaw, sawer, sware, wares, wears
Source: Wiktionary
Swear, v. i. [imp. Swore, formerly Sware (; p. p. Sworn; p. pr. & vb. n. Swearing.] Etym: [OE. swerien, AS. swerian; akin to D. zweren, OS. swerian, OHG. swerien, G. schwƶren, Icel. sverja, Sw. svƤrja, Dan. svƦrge, Icel. & Sw. svara to answer, Dan. svare, Dan. & Sw. svar an answer, Goth. swaran to swear, and perhaps to E. swarm. *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)
Definition: 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, 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)
Definition: 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
22 February 2025
ANALYSIS
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., āthe father of the brideā instead of āthe brideās fatherā
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