swear off

verb

1. (intr, preposition) to promise to abstain from something

   to swear off drink

Idioms and Phrases

Pledge to renounce or give up, as in I've sworn off cigarettes. This expression was first used for abjuring liquor in the first half of the 1800s but has since been broadened to just about anything.

Example Sentences

As an undergrad at the University of Texas, he swore off weekly Longhorns games and eschewed his beloved Dallas Cowboys to concentrate on writing, a practice he has maintained with Calvinist devotion ever since.

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At rallies, she has highlighted her background as a former Central Intelligence Agency officer and a centrist, swearing off “political nonsense” in Washington.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

President Ahmed al-Sharaa was once aligned with Islamic State before switching allegiances to Al-Qaeda, then ultimately swore off extremism as he and his forces fought to control Syria.

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Not swearing off screens, just going to more concerts.

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Mine starts with me brushing cornmeal onto a batch of English muffins at 4 a.m. and ends with me swearing off brunch for at least six years.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• deny 
• disavow 
• discard 
• disown 
• eschew 
• forgo 
• forsake 
• forswear 
• give up 
• quit 
• recant 
• relinquish 
• repudiate 
• spurn 
• waive