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

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

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

"Such is our word, such is our oath. I swear!"

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

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

Now the 38-year-old from Little Hulton has branched out to paint other popular cartoon characters - including from The Simpsons and Tom and Jerry - to cover up swear words.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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

I swear, I’ll do everything I can to help you.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The U.S. will pick up another South American ally on Tuesday when Peru swears in center-right Keiko Fujimori as president.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

He swears by the practice, saying it’s kept his bowel movements regular and his emotional state at an equilibrium.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 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

He swears to USA Today that he tries to “make wise decisions and moral decisions.”

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

Pim swears that I do such a good job he’ll never go to another barber after the war.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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

And he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

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

I hav often met thoze who could tell a grate deal more than they did kno, and waz willing tew sware to it besides.

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

As likewise in contracts and mutual compacts of friendship, or stricter association, when edification, or other satisfaction, or security calls for it, as Jacob sware to Laban, David to Jonathan, &c.

From A Hind Let Loose Or, An Historical Representation of the Testimonies of the Church of Scotland for the Interest of Christ. With the True State Thereof in All Its Periods by Alexander Shields

At any rate," he said, more gently, "she cannot break the mighty oath she sware.

From Ghetto Tragedies by Israel Zangwill

"Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago," Trump said.

From BBC ● 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

News of the fire reached musician Linda Ronstadt, who swore that Dan Tana’s served the best plate of spaghetti in the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Charles Franklin and Janette Edwards, retirees from California, swore off Greece in the height of summer after a particularly sweltering, crowded trip to Athens a few years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

Ophie swore she could hear her daddy’s voice, even though he was still back at the house, waiting on whatever had put such a fright in him.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

As long as no new government is sworn into office, the departing CDU state premier would continue to govern in a caretaker capacity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Essayli was sworn in as interim U.S. attorney in April 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Every so often, a Netflix original will retain just enough promise to keep viewers who’ve sworn off the platform entirely coming back.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Hichilema will be sworn in alongside his running mate, Mutale Nalumango.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

In 1789 George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Recent footage of young women swearing during a protest in India has sparked an unusual debate: are expletives worse when they come from women?

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 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 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

He also hated swearing, and other players in the locker room figured it was better to abide by his wishes rather than run the risk of messing with him.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• affirm
• assert
• depose
• testify
• vow