oath

American  

[ohth] / oʊθ /

noun

• oaths
  plural

1. a solemn appeal to a deity, or to some revered person or thing, to witness one's determination to speak the truth, to keep a promise, etc..

   to testify upon oath.

2. a statement or promise strengthened by such an appeal.

   Synonyms:

   pledge, vow

3. a formally affirmed statement or promise accepted as an equivalent of an appeal to a deity or to a revered person or thing; affirmation.

4. the form of words in which such a statement or promise is made.

5. an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God or anything sacred.

   Synonyms:

   profanity

6. any profane expression; curse; swear word.

   He slammed the door with a muttered oath.

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idioms

1. take an oath, to swear solemnly; vow.

oath British  

/ əʊθ /

noun

1. a solemn pronouncement to affirm the truth of a statement or to pledge a person to some course of action, often involving a sacred being or object as witness

2. the form of such a pronouncement

3. an irreverent or blasphemous expression, esp one involving the name of a deity; curse

4. 1. under the obligation of an oath

   2. law having sworn to tell the truth, usually with one's hand on the Bible

5. to declare formally with an oath or pledge, esp before giving evidence

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• oaths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oath

First recorded before 900; Middle English oth, Old English āth; cognate with Gothic aiths, Old Norse eidhr, German Eid

Explanation

An oath is a promise. If you want to borrow your brother's car, you may have to swear a solemn oath that you will bring it back unharmed. An oath is a solemn promise, sometimes made in front of a witness, or a vow in a court of law that you will tell the absolute truth. No matter what the circumstances are, swearing an oath is serious business. That's why it's odd that an oath can also be an angry outburst of obscene words. Your brother might mutter an oath under his breath and clench his fists angrily if you return his car to him with a broken side mirror.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oath oaths

Delaware County, Pa., in suburban Philadelphia, already has taken such a step — adding prediction markets to an oath poll workers already were required to sign affirming that they have not wagered on the election.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

That interpretation suggests Alexander may not simply have been criticizing Harold for allegedly breaking an oath.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Not every U.S. senator makes history just by taking the oath of office.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Accordingly, once he was persuaded of the move’s necessity, Mr. Alexander took the oath three days early and entered office on a heroic note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

She walked the earth and exacted an oath from each thing that she encountered never to harm Balder the beautiful.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Dunk’s good, stout heart informs his determination to live up to the ancient chivalric oaths, which also makes him hopelessly naïve.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026

Members of the military swear oaths to the Constitution, not to the president or other officials in the chain of command.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025

On Friday, the territory announced that they have adjusted the law to give the option of taking one of the two oaths.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024

It would expand the subpoena powers of the city attorney to include the authority to subpoena witnesses and administer oaths and affirmations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2024

The girl’s vulgarities reminded Cora of the plantation and the stream of oaths delivered by the hands when master’s eye was not on them.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• affidavit
• deposition
• pledge
• testimony
• vow