swear off

verb

1. intr, preposition to promise to abstain from something

   to swear off drink

Idioms and Phrases

Pledge to renounce or give up, as in I've sworn off cigarettes . This expression was first used for abjuring liquor in the first half of the 1800s but has since been broadened to just about anything.

Example Sentences

Wan week afther th' swear-off he came fr'm th' field with th' pipe in his face, an' him puffin' away like a chimney.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• deny
• disavow
• discard
• disown
• eschew
• forgo
• forsake
• forswear
• give up
• quit
• recant
• relinquish
• repudiate
• spurn
• waive