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

Jane Brownstone told jurors that Halem had broken the oath he took as a officer to protect and serve the public.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 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

The investigation, opened by Justice Department prosecutors, seeks to determine if Carroll lied under oath during several depositions against Trump, CNN and The New York Times reported.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

However, he was under oath to let his wife Eriphyle decide whenever there was a dispute between him and her brother.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Their oaths to serving the Constitution and the people of the United States are treated as sacred, binding members to an ideology that leads to action.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2025

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

“Not exactly. Captain Candless serves her. I serve the captain. But we swear dual oaths to the clan.”

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Related Words

• affidavit
• deposition
• pledge
• testimony
• vow