promise

[prom-is]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR promise ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc., by one: unkept political promises.

an express assurance on which expectation is to be based: promises that an enemy will not win.

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

indication of future excellence or achievement: a writer who shows promise.

something that is promised.

verb (used with object), prom·ised, prom·is·ing.

to engage or undertake by promise (usually used with an infinitive or a clause as object): She promised to go tomorrow.

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

to make a promise of something to (a specified person): Promise me that you will come.

to afford ground for expecting: The sky promised a storm.

to engage to join in marriage.

to assure (used in emphatic declarations): I won't go there again, I promise you that!

verb (used without object), prom·ised, prom·is·ing.

to afford ground for expectation (often followed by well or fair): His forthcoming novel promises well.

to make a promise.

Origin of promise

1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English promis(se) < Medieval Latin prōmissa, for Latin prōmissum, noun use of neuter past participle of prōmittere to promise, literally, to send forth, equivalent to prō- pro-¹ + mittere to send; (v.) late Middle English promisen, derivative of the noun

Related formsprom·is·a·ble, adjectiveprom·ise·ful, adjectiveprom·is·er, nounout·prom·ise, verb (used with object), out·prom·ised, out·prom·is·ing.o·ver·prom·ise, verb (used with object), o·ver·prom·ised, o·ver·prom·is·ing.pre·prom·ise, noun, verb (used with object), pre·prom·ised, pre·prom·is·ing.qua·si-prom·ised, adjectivere·prom·ise, verb, re·prom·ised, re·prom·is·ing.un·prom·ised, adjective

Synonyms for promise

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR promise ON THESAURUS.COM

2. word, pledge. 6. pledge, covenant, agree.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for promised

guaranteed, agreed, assured, warranted, professed, insured, undertaken, sworn, plighted, consented, underwritten, ensured, affirmed, stipulated, vowed

Examples from the Web for promised

Contemporary Examples of promised

In a neat line, his agent, beginning a bidding war, promised: “Michiko Kakutani will flip for this.”
What On Earth Is ‘The Affair’ About? Season One’s Baffling Finale
Tim Teeman
December 22, 2014
Today, the hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace promised further attacks against Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Kim Jong Un’s Kid Gloves Are Now Off
Gordon G. Chang
December 17, 2014
Charter schools, rejecting the tenet of promotion through seniority, promised to do better.
Your Local School Doesn’t Have to Suck
Michael S. Roth
December 17, 2014
Some believe that the promised liberation is a spiritual one.
During Advent, Lots of Waiting, But Not Enough Hope
Gene Robinson
December 7, 2014
Kadyrov had promised to detain Muslim women wearing veils that cover their faces.
Fierce Fighting in Grozny Raises Specter of ISIS Influence in Russia
Anna Nemtsova
December 4, 2014

Historical Examples of promised

Giles has promised me none,” said Dennet, with a pouting lip, “nor Ambrose.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
And she was disappointed that he only promised to consider the matter and let her hear from him.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
I was very much annoyed at the natives not putting in appearance as promised.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
The horses will be furnished by the settlers, many having already been promised me.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
Dear baby, it promised its mother it wouldn't drink wine for two months.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson

British Dictionary definitions for promised

promise

verb

(often foll by to; when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to give an assurance of (something to someone); undertake (to do something) in the futureI promise that I will come

(tr) to undertake to give (something to someone)he promised me a car for my birthday

(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

(usually passive) to engage to be married; betrothI'm promised to Bill

(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

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

indication of forthcoming excellence or goodnessa writer showing considerable promise

the thing of which an assurance is given

Derived Formspromiser, noun

Word Origin for promise

C14: from Latin prōmissum a promise, from prōmittere to send forth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for promised

promise

c.1400, "a pledge, vow," from Old French promesse "promise, guarantee, assurance" (13c.) and directly from Latin promissum "a promise," noun use of neuter past participle of promittere "send forth; let go; foretell; assure beforehand, promise," from pro- "before" (see pro-) + mittere "to put, send" (see mission). The ground sense is "declaration made about the future, about some act to be done or not done."

promise

c.1400, from promise (n.). Related: Promised; promising. Promised land (1530s) is a reference to the land of Canaan promised to Abraham and his progeny (Hebrew xi:9, etc.; Greek ten ges tes epangelias).

Idioms and Phrases with promised

promise

see lick and a promise.