promise
Americannoun
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a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc., by one.
unkept political promises.
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an express assurance on which expectation is to be based.
promises that an enemy will not win.
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something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected.
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indication of future excellence or achievement.
a writer who shows promise.
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something that is promised.
verb (used with object)
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to engage or undertake by promise (usually used with an infinitive or a clause as object).
She promised to go tomorrow.
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to make a promise of (some specified act, gift, etc.).
to promise help.
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to make a promise of something to (a specified person).
Promise me that you will come.
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to afford ground for expecting.
The sky promised a storm.
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to engage to join in marriage.
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to assure (used in emphatic declarations).
I won't go there again, I promise you that!
verb (used without object)
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to afford ground for expectation (often followed by well orfair ).
His forthcoming novel promises well.
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to make a promise.
verb
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to give an assurance of (something to someone); undertake (to do something) in the future
I promise that I will come
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(tr) to undertake to give (something to someone)
he promised me a car for my birthday
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(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
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(usually passive) to engage to be married; betroth
I'm promised to Bill
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(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
noun
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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
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indication of forthcoming excellence or goodness
a writer showing considerable promise
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the thing of which an assurance is given
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prepromisenoun
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promisernoun
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repromiseverb
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promisableadjective
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promisefuladjective
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quasi-promisedadjective
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unpromisedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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promisesimple
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promisessimple
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have promisedperfect
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has promisedperfect
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are promisingprogressive
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am promisingprogressive
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is promisingprogressive
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have been promisingperfect progressive
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has been promisingperfect progressive
Past
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promisedsimple
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had promisedperfect
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was promisingprogressive
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were promisingprogressive
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had been promisingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing promise
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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Michelle Obama's final address as First Lady (2017)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“More than any other company, Ford was identified with a new era of high-wage capitalism,” Michael Lind writes in Land of Promise: An Economic History of the United States.
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
That keen eye for style is no accident: Once upon a time, after the festival run of “I Promise You Anarchy,” Calva planned to quit acting and study film directing.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Promise and fulfillment, like sunshine and shadows, light and darkness, exist simultaneously.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said it was alerted to the blaze at The Promise School, in Okehampton, at about 15:30 GMT.
From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026
Yes, it was clear now: Mo's Promise hadn't worked.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
