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

That’s what makes the promise of increased Treasury buybacks through November, and other potential “tools,” more than technical maneuvers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

All that promise started to wither around 2015, as social media giants gobbled up more and more of the profits that kept earlier hangouts afloat.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Diana had made her two cherished boys promise to always stand by one other, but almost 30 years after her death they are no longer talking.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Dr Talisia Quallo, head of prevention and early detection at Cancer Research UK, said the research "shows promise" but said that the interim data still needs to be fully reviewed.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

At least, it would have done if she hadn’t held me so tightly, if her voice hadn’t broken as she whispered, ‘I promise everything will be fine,’ into my hair.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

That promises to heap more pressure on an already strapped public — even if the full economic impact of higher energy prices might take a while to fully trickle down to the U.S. economy.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

“State Farm Mutual is able to provide value directly to our customers while maintaining financial strength to keep our promises in the future,” said State Farm President and Chief Executive Jon Farney in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Since the start of the war, many Middle Eastern countries have said they would not allow the United States to use their territory as a launchpad for attacks, though Abdollahi cast doubt on those promises.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

Publicis promises to create a more structured system: Publicis Sports will hone clients’ strategies, then hand them over to Tekta to identify promising athletes and schools based on those brand objectives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Children are dragged away with promises that they may return the next evening, though the circus will not be there the next evening and later those children will feel slighted and betrayed.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

The government has promised to review laws on serious offences, and create a memorial in honour of the child.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

The head of the IG Metall union on Friday sharply criticised management and promised to resist the factory closures.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

Bessent outlined plans to buy more long-dated Treasurys this fall, promised to use the agency’s large “tool kit” to support the market and talked of coming new measures to contain the growing U.S. debt load.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

Peter Pezaris, 56, promised his wife he would retire this year after more than 30 years in the tech industry and four successful exits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

As part of her new life, Maggie promised Elisha “solemnly never to rap again.”

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Jorrel Hato: Operating in an unfamiliar wing-back role, the defender produced a promising early dribble and adapted well.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

"That makes it very promising for the new telescopes becoming available, including the Roman Space Telescope, which can see an area 100-times larger than that of the Hubble."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

But the early success of these smaller, people-first models is promising.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

But like all promising science, success in research studies doesn’t always translate to success in business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Britain and France send a stern warning to Hitler, promising to support Poland if Germany threatens to invade.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

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