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Synonyms

swear off

British  

verb

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

    to swear off drink
"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 off Idioms  

  1. 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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From 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.

From The Wall Street Journal

Not swearing off screens, just going to more concerts.

From MarketWatch

This month, after losing over $1,800 - more than his annual salary - he shut his brokerage account and swore off the market.

From BBC

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.