oath

American  

[ohth] / oʊθ /

noun

plural

oaths

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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Etymology

Origin of oath

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

Example Sentences

"It makes me even more delighted to have a 35-year-old youth as my successor," the outgoing interim prime minister, who hugged Shah after he took the oath, said in a statement.

From Barron's

New lawmakers took the oath of office on Thursday in a hall within the newly constructed parliament building.

From Barron's

In the nave she will swear an oath on the Saint John's Bible, the first time a new bible has been used since 1945, in what is being seen as a reflection of modernisation.

From BBC

But Subramanyam told the BBC that lawmakers would be "happy to work out terms that work for her", as long as she was under oath.

From BBC

It functions as a loyalty oath, one ritual in a much larger pattern of humiliation and dominance.

From Salon

Related Words

• affidavit
• deposition
• pledge
• testimony
• vow