Synonyms Examples
See more synonyms for sworn on Thesaurus.com past participle of swear . Show More
having taken an oath: a duly elected and sworn official. bound by or as if by an oath or pledge. avowed; affirmed: He is my sworn enemy. Show More
verb (used without object), swore or (Archaic ) sware; sworn; swear·ing. to make a solemn declaration or affirmation by some sacred being or object, as a deity or the Bible. to bind oneself by oath. to give evidence or make a statement on oath. to use profane oaths or language: Don't swear in front of the children. Show More
verb (used with object), swore or (Archaic ) sware; sworn; swear·ing. to declare, affirm, attest, etc., by swearing by a deity, some sacred object, etc. to affirm, assert, or say with solemn earnestness. to promise or undertake on oath or in a solemn manner; vow. to testify or state on oath: He swore it on the witness stand. to take (an oath), as in order to give solemnity or force to a declaration, promise, etc. to bind by an oath: to swear someone to secrecy. Show More
swear by , to name (a sacred being or thing) as one's witness or guarantee in swearing. Informal to have great confidence in; rely on: He swears by his dentist. to have certain knowledge of: I thought I saw him leaving, but I couldn't swear by it. swear in , to admit to office or service by administering an oath: A new president will be sworn in today. swear off , to promise or resolve to give up something, especially intoxicating beverages. swear out , to secure (a warrant for arrest) by making an accusation under oath. Show More
Origin of swear before 900; Middle English sweren, Old English swerian; cognate with
German schwören, Old Norse sverja; akin to
Gothic swaran to swear; see
answer Related forms swear·er , noun swear·ing·ly , adverb re·swear , verb, re·swore, re·sworn, re·swear·ing. un·der·swear·er , noun Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sworn Contemporary Examples of sworn But these must be proven under a signed and sworn statement and judged reasonable by the DOH.
Some secrets, it seems, must be kept even from elected representatives who could still be sworn to secrecy.
Her agency had to take her out of the country that very evening after it was made clear that the servant had sworn to kill her.
The capital of Chechnya, Grozny, was attacked Thursday by insurgents who may have sworn allegiance to ISIS.
But this week, even as a new cabinet was sworn in, the Houthis showed no signs of honoring their commitment to demobilize.
Historical Examples of sworn He tried to swear Edith and me to secrecy, but we refused to be sworn .
Suddenly he remembered that he had also sworn to put Carlotta out of his life.
For my part, I should have been deceived this time, and sworn that the two were but one.
She was then fighting, fighting with all her power against odds, for her sworn duty.
I've sworn more in a week since you left us, than I ever swore in my life before!
British Dictionary definitions for sworn the past participle of swear Show More
bound, pledged, or made inveterate, by or as if by an oath a sworn statement ; he was sworn to God Show More
verb swears , swearing , swore or sworn to declare or affirm (a statement) as true, esp by invoking a deity, etc, as witness (foll by by) to invoke (a deity, etc) by name as a witness or guarantee to an oath to trust implicitly; have complete confidence (in) (intr often foll by at ) to curse, blaspheme, or use swearwords (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to promise solemnly on oath; vow (tr) to assert or affirm with great emphasis or earnestness (intr) to give evidence or make any statement or solemn declaration on oath to take an oath in order to add force or solemnity to (a statement or declaration) swear blind informal to assert emphatically Show More
Derived Forms swearer , noun Word Origin for swear Old English swerian; related to Old Norse sverja, Gothic swaran, Old Frisian swera, German schwören
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
Word Origin and History for sworn v. Old English swerian "take an oath" (class VI strong verb; past tense swor , past participle sworen ), from Proto-Germanic *swarjan- , (cf. Old Saxon swerian , Old Norse sverja , Danish sverge , Old Frisian swera , Middle Dutch swaren , Old High German swerien , German schwören , Gothic swaren "to swear"), from PIE root *swer- (1) "to speak, talk, say" (cf. Old Church Slavonic svara "quarrel"). Also related to the second element in answer . The secondary sense of "use bad language" (early 15c.) developed from the notion of "invoke sacred names." Swear-word is American English colloquial from 1883. Swear off "desist as with a vow" is from 1898.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
