promise

American  

[prom-is] / ˈprɒm ɪs /

noun

• promises
  plural

1. 

   a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc., by one.

   unkept political promises.

2. an express assurance on which expectation is to be based.

   promises that an enemy will not win.

   Synonyms:

   pledge, word

3. something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected.

4. indication of future excellence or achievement.

   a writer who shows promise.

5. something that is promised.

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verb (used with object)

• promises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• promised,
  past participle,  past
• promising
  present participle

1. to engage or undertake by promise (usually used with an infinitive or a clause as object).

   She promised to go tomorrow.

   Synonyms:

   agree, covenant, pledge

2. to make a promise of (some specified act, gift, etc.).

   to promise help.

3. to make a promise of something to (a specified person).

   Promise me that you will come.

4. to afford ground for expecting.

   The sky promised a storm.

5. to engage to join in marriage.

6. to assure (used in emphatic declarations).

   I won't go there again, I promise you that!

verb (used without object)

• promises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• promised,
  past participle,  past
• promising
  present participle

1. to afford ground for expectation (often followed by well orfair ).

   His forthcoming novel promises well.

2. to make a promise.

promise British  

/ ˈprɒmɪs /

verb

1. to give an assurance of (something to someone); undertake (to do something) in the future

   I promise that I will come

2. (tr) to undertake to give (something to someone)

   he promised me a car for my birthday

3. (when tr, takes an infinitive) to cause one to expect that in the future one is likely (to be or do something)

   she promises to be a fine soprano

4. (usually passive) to engage to be married; betroth

   I'm promised to Bill

5. (tr) to assure (someone) of the authenticity or inevitability of something (often in the parenthetic phrase I promise you, used to emphasize a statement)

   there'll be trouble, I promise you

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noun

1. an undertaking or assurance given by one person to another agreeing or guaranteeing to do or give something, or not to do or give something, in the future

2. indication of forthcoming excellence or goodness

   a writer showing considerable promise

3. the thing of which an assurance is given

promise Idioms  

1. see lick and a promise.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prepromise
  noun
• promiser
  noun
• repromise
  verb
• outpromise
  verb (used with object)
• overpromise
  verb (used with object)
• promisable
  adjective
• promiseful
  adjective
• quasi-promised
  adjective
• unpromised
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• promises
  plural

Participles

• promising
  present
• promised
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• promise
  simple
• promises
  simple
• have promised
  perfect
• has promised
  perfect
• am promising
  progressive
• are promising
  progressive
• is promising
  progressive
• have been promising
  perfect progressive
• has been promising
  perfect progressive

Past

• promised
  simple
• had promised
  perfect
• was promising
  progressive
• were promising
  progressive
• had been promising
  perfect progressive

Future

• will promise
  simple
• will have promised
  perfect
• will be promising
  progressive
• will have been promising
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of promise

First recorded in 1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English promis(se), from Medieval Latin prōmissa, from Latin prōmissum, noun use of neuter past participle of prōmittere “to promise,” literally, “to send forth,” equivalent to prō- pro- ¹ + mittere “to send”; (verb) late Middle English promisen, derivative of the noun

Explanation

A promise is an agreement to do or not do something. Also, when you have potential, you show promise. If your parents say you can go for ice cream and then it doesn't happen, you'll probably say, "But you promised!" People promise small things, like to visit someone, and big things, like marriage: “Til death do us part” is a promise many people make on their wedding day. Another meaning is to make a prediction, as in, "You'll regret this, I promise!” Also, if you show promise playing the violin, maybe someday you'll play in an orchestra.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

promise promises promised promising

The French government has made its first sign of giving ground to teenage protesters, with a promise of 3,000 extra supply teachers in the coming days.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Treasury is a virtual certainty to deliver on that promise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The “Crazy Rich Asians” series could fill the void left by the onetime promise of a “Crazy Rich Asians” sequel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Greene-Placentia told the Arizona outlet that her campaign promise of fighting for all constituents moved her to report her trauma.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

‘You were brave and clever, and you kept going all day. I promise to keep the pact with the World Spirit, and treat you with respect. Now go in peace.’

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

When you buy a bond, you’re lending money to the issuer who promises to pay you interest and return the principal when the bond matures on a set date.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Chancellor John Healey said all promises the government made would be "built on the rock of fiscal discipline" and the Budget on 28 October would "give families and businesses a bit of breathing space".

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

"I decided to leave the training camp without waiting for any further broken promises."

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

But on the other side of that, Talarico has very impressively used digital media, and look at his campaign promises.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

The agricultural depression, taken together with a series of failed reforms and broken political promises, had pyramided to a climax of social tensions.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Thursday to "do everything" to help end the Middle East war when he met Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian for talks ahead of a regional summit, Russian media reported.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

This week, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said AI is “no more” and promised to change the name of his AI company, SpaceXAI, a subsidiary of SpaceX, to SpaceXSI.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

Sir David Attenborough has promised to "venture even further" and uncover marine life that is "more precious than we ever realised" in Blue Planet III.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

For decades, rich countries collected low-value plastic and shipped more than a quarter of it to China and other poorer countries that promised to recycle it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

She would save him the very next instant, she promised.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Under pressure from powerful critics, elite universities have begun to make changes such as adopting statements of institutional neutrality, capping grade inflation, promising to protect open inquiry and establishing civics centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Three hugely promising young players signed to replace key stars.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

However, it is testing zenagamtide, a promising new weight-loss drug, in Phase 3 studies as a possible treatment for knee osteoarthritis, according to corporate filings.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

For scientists searching for life beyond Earth, rocky planets with atmospheres are among the most promising places to investigate.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

And in the evening, the dead would crowd around the back porch while the girl spoke to them, taking notes and promising to carry out one last task for those who asked.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• agreement
• assurance
• commitment
• guarantee
• obligation
• pact
• pledge
• vow
• word