swear by
Idioms-
Have great reliance on or confidence in, as in She swears by her personal physician . [Early 1800s]
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Also, swear to . Have reliable knowledge of, be sure of, as in I think she was going to the library but I can't swear to it . [Mid-1700s]
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Take an oath by, as in I swear by all the saints in heaven . [Early 1200s]
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.
To start things off, here are three personal-finance principles that I’ve come to swear by through my own wins and losses.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
There’s a reason runners swear by pickle juice as a recovery drink, and why “pickle girls” have become their own corner of the internet.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
Even those who swear by the broccoli concoction say they can’t be sure that they are benefiting from anything other than a placebo effect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026
“At the end of the day, the government is going to go with systems that have been deployed, where combatant commanders swear by the fact that they want one of what we have,” Mengucci said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
‘If you swear by your hope of Heaven and your fear of Hell never, never to mention any of this to anyone. Never tell my true name, nor that I have a cup.’
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
