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

A stepmother or stepfather may promise their spouse and stepchildren the world while both parties are living, but can change their mind after the death of their spouse.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

The promise of these premium waters is purity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Entourage Bali said it was pausing all its events for now and "promise we will make real changes going forward".

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Here, the promise that local law enforcement keeps people safe is often hard for residents to take at face value.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

“And you have every reason to. I promise I understand that. But I really did discover something, and I would love your help. Please.”

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

He said it had rested on "false promises and blatant disinformation".

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Moreover, the filing claims that the new entity reneged on a number of promises, including that members would keep their lifetime voting rights as well as their lifetime tickets to the award show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

He added that it promises to “create thousands of jobs, lower electricity costs for American families, and deliver energy infrastructure needed to power the AI economy.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

There's scant to no clinical evidence supporting such promises, and doctors have voiced concern that endorsing weakly understood if trendy substances could direct patients away from treatments backed by evidence.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

His empty promises broke the code of the cinco hermanitas.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

But unlike his more defensively-minded predecessors, who played successful but sometimes uninspiring soccer, Zidane promised to deliver a radically new style—beginning with the four international matches he will oversee this fall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

As Warsh has promised less communication over interest-rate intentions, investors will have no choice but to turn their attention to data and the next meeting in two months.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

It promised hands-on experience with the cutting-edge technology.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

For Fagan, the show delivered exactly what it promised: love.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

In the meantime, I’ll devote all my extra free time to help him launch his business, just like he says I promised I would.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Trott took the helm of Rio Tinto nearly a year ago, promising to improve productivity, cut costs and sell assets in an effort to simplify the business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Xabi Alonso's first match as Chelsea manager was defined by four strikers - an untouchable one, one that struggled again and could leave, a promising talent, and one that could join.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

In November 2025, Abigail Spanberger won Virginia’s governorship in a landslide after promising to make data centers “pay their own way and their fair share.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

It’s a promising sign for a pitcher who twice had to shut down throwing early in his rehab when he aggravated the injury.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

I left: promising to enroll in a French class and then forgot that promise as soon my plane landed back in New York.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

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