promise
Americannoun
-
promises
plural
-
a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc., by one.
unkept political promises.
-
an express assurance on which expectation is to be based.
promises that an enemy will not win.
-
something that has the effect of an express assurance; indication of what may be expected.
-
indication of future excellence or achievement.
a writer who shows promise.
-
something that is promised.
verb (used with object)
-
promises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
promised,
past participle, past
-
promising
present participle
-
to engage or undertake by promise (usually used with an infinitive or a clause as object).
She promised to go tomorrow.
-
to make a promise of (some specified act, gift, etc.).
to promise help.
-
to make a promise of something to (a specified person).
Promise me that you will come.
-
to afford ground for expecting.
The sky promised a storm.
-
to engage to join in marriage.
-
to assure (used in emphatic declarations).
I won't go there again, I promise you that!
verb (used without object)
-
promises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
promised,
past participle, past
-
promising
present participle
-
to afford ground for expectation (often followed by well orfair ).
His forthcoming novel promises well.
-
to make a promise.
verb
-
to give an assurance of (something to someone); undertake (to do something) in the future
I promise that I will come
-
(tr) to undertake to give (something to someone)
he promised me a car for my birthday
-
(when tr, takes an infinitive) to cause one to expect that in the future one is likely (to be or do something)
she promises to be a fine soprano
-
(usually passive) to engage to be married; betroth
I'm promised to Bill
-
(tr) to assure (someone) of the authenticity or inevitability of something (often in the parenthetic phrase I promise you, used to emphasize a statement)
there'll be trouble, I promise you
noun
-
an undertaking or assurance given by one person to another agreeing or guaranteeing to do or give something, or not to do or give something, in the future
-
indication of forthcoming excellence or goodness
a writer showing considerable promise
-
the thing of which an assurance is given
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
prepromisenoun
-
promisernoun
-
repromiseverb
-
outpromiseverb (used with object)
-
overpromiseverb (used with object)
-
promisableadjective
-
promisefuladjective
-
quasi-promisedadjective
-
unpromisedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
promisesimple
-
promisessimple
-
have promisedperfect
-
has promisedperfect
-
am promisingprogressive
-
are promisingprogressive
-
is promisingprogressive
-
have been promisingperfect progressive
-
has been promisingperfect progressive
Past
-
promisedsimple
-
had promisedperfect
-
was promisingprogressive
-
were promisingprogressive
-
had been promisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of promise
First recorded in 1375–1425; (noun) late Middle English promis(se), from Medieval Latin prōmissa, from Latin prōmissum, noun use of neuter past participle of prōmittere “to promise,” literally, “to send forth,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + mittere “to send”; (verb) late Middle English promisen, derivative of the noun
Explanation
A promise is an agreement to do or not do something. Also, when you have potential, you show promise. If your parents say you can go for ice cream and then it doesn't happen, you'll probably say, "But you promised!" People promise small things, like to visit someone, and big things, like marriage: “Til death do us part” is a promise many people make on their wedding day. Another meaning is to make a prediction, as in, "You'll regret this, I promise!” Also, if you show promise playing the violin, maybe someday you'll play in an orchestra.
Vocabulary lists containing promise
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Granted, the Dolphins don’t show a lot of promise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
He was given the goal of converting youthful promise into qualification for Euro 2028, which will be staged in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The upcoming events promise glimpses into a few of Tesla’s most ambitious products.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Despite the prison guard’s promise, Roebuck again declined to read the letter.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
I just wanted to get away and never make another promise as long as I lived.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
And she was to discover that, despite Abah's remonstrations, and promises to change, he had apparently offended again.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“The Pineapple” in its limited online description promises an alien encounter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Chinese corporate registry data shows the company owns copyrights to software that cybersecurity experts say could enable the company to do what it promises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
"The final preparations are all on track and progressing smoothly ahead of what promises to be the most spectacular Asian Games held for generations," their statement read.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
When she does not, she promises to get back to them as soon as possible.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
The actual candy, plaintiffs Nathan Vidal and Eduardo Granados complained, arrived without the promised eyes and mouth.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
“He had a big stick and looked like Moses or something, walking to the promised land,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
As anger mounts, Barrow has promised the electricity situation will improve by the end of October.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
One of the leaders of that protest has promised to bring demonstrations to Piddington if the military site opens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Sam promised, and Mom went back to the kitchen.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
Among the convention’s big winners were companies promising to help people buy citizenship elsewhere or, as one such company advertised, “diversify your passport portfolio.”
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
One promising way to investigate those possibilities is to map Phobos' gravity in greater detail.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
My advice is simple: Slow down, diversify, independently verify who is managing the money, and be skeptical of anything promising unusually high or consistent returns.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
In fact, it wouldn’t be fully understood until much later, when the great-grandson of two men on opposite sides of that matchup emerged as one of college football’s most promising freshmen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Brugman and Driedger drove to their rooms in Vancouver, promising to come back the next day.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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.
