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Synonyms

swear in

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to administer an oath to (a person) on his assuming office, entering the witness box to give evidence, etc

"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
swear in Idioms  

  1. Administer a legal or official oath to, as in The new mayor will be sworn in tomorrow. [c. 1700]

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.

"It's a great contrast. The white, with the black," Trump told reporters as he showed them the ongoing work after a ceremony to swear in new the Homeland Security secretary, Markwayne Mullin.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

So he walked back from the certification piece and then went on to say, “We don’t swear in a pro forma session.”

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2025

Johnson in January did swear in two GOP congressmen during a pro forma session—though the speaker notes that their swearing-in date had already been set and the House was unexpectedly out of session.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

Johnson previously told CNN on Tuesday that he would swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz. “as soon as she wants.”

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2025

“Don’t swear in the Literal Heart of jesus,” Gus said.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

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.