swear

American  

[swair] / swɛər /

verb (used without object)

• swears,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swore,
  past
• sware,
  past (Archaic)
• sworn,
  past participle
• swearing
  present participle

1. to make a solemn declaration or affirmation by some sacred being or object, as a deity or the Bible.

   Synonyms:

   avow, affirm, declare

2. to bind oneself by oath.

3. to give evidence or make a statement on oath.

   Synonyms:

   testify, depose

4. to use profane oaths or language.

   Don't swear in front of the children.

   Synonyms:

   imprecate

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verb (used with object)

• swears,
  present (3rd person singular)
• swore,
  past
• sware,
  past (Archaic)
• sworn,
  past participle
• swearing
  present participle

1. to declare, affirm, attest, etc., by swearing by a deity, some sacred object, etc.

2. to affirm, assert, or say with solemn earnestness.

3. to promise or undertake on oath or in a solemn manner; vow.

4. to testify or state on oath.

   He swore it on the witness stand.

5. to take (an oath), as in order to give solemnity or force to a declaration, promise, etc.

6. to bind by an oath.

   to swear someone to secrecy.

noun

• swears
  plural

1. Informal. a profane or obscene word; curse word.

   If we said a swear, Mom made us put a quarter in the jar.

   Heads-up—this movie trailer is full of swears and is NSFW.

verb phrase

1. swear by

   1. to name (a sacred being or thing) as one's witness or guarantee in swearing.

   2. Informal. to have great confidence in; rely on.

      He swears by his dentist.

   3. to have certain knowledge of.

      I thought I saw him leaving, but I couldn't swear by it.

2. swear off to promise or resolve to give up something.

   I've decided to swear off the internet one day a week.

   Have you sworn off red meat?

3. swear in to admit to office or service by administering an oath.

   A new president will be sworn in today.

4. swear out to secure (a warrant for arrest) by making an accusation under oath.

swear British  

/ swɛə /

verb

1. to declare or affirm (a statement) as true, esp by invoking a deity, etc, as witness

2. (foll by by)

   1. to invoke (a deity, etc) by name as a witness or guarantee to an oath

   2. to trust implicitly; have complete confidence (in)

3. to curse, blaspheme, or use swearwords

4. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to promise solemnly on oath; vow

5. (tr) to assert or affirm with great emphasis or earnestness

6. (intr) to give evidence or make any statement or solemn declaration on oath

7. to take an oath in order to add force or solemnity to (a statement or declaration)

8. informal to assert emphatically

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noun

1. a period of swearing

Synonym Usage

See curse.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• swearer
  noun
• reswear
  verb
• swearingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• swears
  plural

Participles

• swearing
  present
• sworn
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• swear
  simple
• swears
  simple
• have sworn
  perfect
• has sworn
  perfect
• am swearing
  progressive
• are swearing
  progressive
• is swearing
  progressive
• have been swearing
  perfect progressive
• has been swearing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sware
  simple
• swore
  simple
• had sworn
  perfect
• was swearing
  progressive
• were swearing
  progressive
• had been swearing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will swear
  simple
• will have sworn
  perfect
• will be swearing
  progressive
• will have been swearing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of swear

First recorded before 900; Middle English sweren, Old English swerian; cognate with German schwören, Old Norse sverja; akin to Gothic swaran “to swear”; see answer

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Explanation

When you take an oath about something, you swear to it, affirming its truth. Ironically, if you utter an oath, such as a curse word or obscenity, you also swear. Do you swear to put a quarter in this jar for every time you swear? The two separate meanings of swear come from branches of the same etymological tree. Both meanings have ties to Old Norse sverja, but sometime in the Middle English, the word became on one hand sweren with the meaning "to promise," while another version, swerian, became "to curse." Both might come from the idea of an oath being connected to a deity, but while one referred to truth, the other went to the dark side, negatively invoking a sacred name.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

swear swears sware swore sworn swearing

But some workers swear by mouse docks, like one made by Tech8 USA, that keep cursors moving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

Walker added Cricket was well-known for "keeping his act clean" in a time where some of the clubs would not have allowed any type of crude language or swear words.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Under current law, Californians are required to provide identification when registering to vote and must swear under penalty of perjury, a felony, that they are eligible to vote and are U.S. citizens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

His mouth is turned down, and I swear I see color in his face.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

An NBA player swears it brought him good luck after devouring it the night before a big game.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

“Oh, I have a friend who does that,” “Oh, my cousin swears by it,” I began hearing from people as soon as I started looking for interviewees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Strickland, who is Hilton’s campaign chair, swears that he and his former colleagues didn’t plan to take their crusade statewide, but “when you do a great job, other opportunities present themselves.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: Why one editor swears by this detangling, scalp-massaging shower tool.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

Another woman swears that her numbers not only have color, but also have personalities.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

And they waxed wroth against the High Priestess and said, Didst thou not sware, even unto seven times, that thou wouldst not call a snap election?

From The New Yorker ● Jun. 9, 2017

Remember what God has said, 'the Lord thy God is a merciful God, He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.'

From Lily Pearl and The Mistress of Rosedale by Ida Glenwood

Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

From Heroes of Israel Text of the Hero Stories with Notes and Questions for Young Students by Theodore Gerald Soares

Then they ha'e call'd her, Lady Maisry,105 And she sware by the moon, That she saw not him, young Hunting, Sin' yesterday at noon.

From English and Scottish Ballads (volume 3 of 8) by Various

That i wont sware enny, unless i am put under oath.

From The Complete Works of Josh Billings by Henry W. Shaw

Regan told investigators and The Times that he swore at Bartholow but denied that he physically intimidated her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today," Trump said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

North Korea demolished the South's liaison office in its territory and later swore off all communication with them.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Jouppi swore he had no idea; bush pilots do not rummage through their passengers’ bags.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Zeus was madly in love with her and told her that anything she asked of him he would do; he swore it by the river Styx, the oath which not even he himself could break.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

It marked the first time a Quebec premier was sworn in without a representative of the British monarchy present.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

A jury was sworn in early in September but the case has faced a series of delays for legal and practical reasons.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Villanueva added that the number of unfilled sworn positions at the department has risen since he was sheriff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A university the size of Utah Valley University needs more than 13 sworn staff, the report found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“If I have sworn not to do something—sworn in God’s name—must I keep my word?”

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Now, the Los Angeles-area resident says he is swearing off the policies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Kito showed Becerra a picture of the then-congressman swearing him in as a neighborhood council president more than a decade ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The business, based in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, was known by many pubgoers for its eccentric rules including banning mobile phones, music, televisions and swearing at their sites.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

The ex-Manchester mayor was clapped and cheered as some 200 Labour MPs welcomed him back to parliament after a nine-year absence for his swearing in on Monday, hours after Starmer tendered his resignation.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

She touches her heart, lightly, as if swearing on it.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

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Related Words

• affirm
• assert
• depose
• testify
• vow

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