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

"This is a significant milestone for AI research, and its promise for the world is that even more of our hardest questions would become possible to answer," Mark Chen, OpenAI's chief research officer, told reporters.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Many capital cases were negotiated as “plea bargains to life without parole on the express promise that this will provide the finality that the victims need most,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Once Tirana’s mayor, he became prime minister in 2013, after a campaign that ran on the promise of an “Albanian renaissance.”

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Plus a promise to make Germans feel proud of their country again.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

I wanted to promise Daisy but I couldn’t talk.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Endless construction projects are pitched, plumped up with promises of jobs and money for the local economy.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Next week’s event promises to be flashy — and different from the ones of years past.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026

Likewise, organisations working in the sector have welcomed promises of multi-year funding and an end to a postcode lottery of provision - although they await the details.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

He’s just employing the classic false promises of any grifter running a get-rich-quick scheme.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Hecate offers you obscurity, choices, vague promises of magic.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Other donors, including the European Union, have promised $400 million more, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

From a young age, Miller, 80, said she promised her mom that she “would never jump.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

So when that time is not promised at school, they might lose out on cognitive, social, physical, and community benefits.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Prime Minister Balendra Shah promised to provide "safe and comfortable accommodation" for thousands of people displaced by the disaster and currently living in temporary relief camps.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

General MacArthur retreated on March 11, 1942, but promised to return.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

"The findings add to growing evidence that GLP-1 receptor agonists may have benefits beyond diabetes and obesity treatment, and could represent a promising new avenue for bipolar research."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

This year, he landed a job with a more promising career outlook, managing client accounts at a fintech company.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Based on the most recently available state test data for the spring 2025 testing period, the results at the school are promising.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

He refused to comment on any decisions about tax, promising only to "balance the books" and "control public spending".

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Then Blair and his friends filed out of the store, promising to return the next day.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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