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

Many TikToks users swear that the ideal time to search for flights is 3 a.m. on a Tuesday, for example.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

“I solemnly swear allegiance to my Fatherland, the Russian Federation,” read the stocky 17-year-old, decked out in a fresh military uniform with a rifle slung across his shoulder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Maybe I’m loopy, but I’d even swear the entrance to Billy’s screening room has a handmade mural of the Roku City screensaver.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 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

“For the last time,” Jake pleaded, “I swear I didn’t do it. I don’t know how to steal anything.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

“I’m always being real,” she swears with a smile.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

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

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

Hiddleston, who spoke with WSJ about his morning routine, swears by regular runs, soft boiled eggs and Arsenal football.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 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

Then, Mr. Small and the vice principal, whom Patrick swears is gay, hand out the diplomas.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

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

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

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

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

From Ghetto Tragedies by Israel Zangwill

And the servant sware to Abraham his master concerning this matter.

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

David sware to Saul, and the two parted in peace.

From The Expositor's Bible: The First Book of Samuel by William Garden Blaikie

Mr. Johnson recounts upbraiding Jobs at one point after the CEO swore at and insulted his retail team during a meeting; he made his outspoken boss promise never to do it again.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

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

For her part, Korte wrote on X: "It's a shame for the institution and service members, who swore to defend the Constitution and deserve the right to a free and independent press."

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

From this spot, you could spy Jim’s soddy—at least the roof, from which grew a cherry tree that Jim swore bore the best pie cherries in all of Montana.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

The 10-year Treasury yield has surged 42.4 basis points since the day before Warsh was sworn in as Fed chairman on May 22.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Modest, diplomatic and with a strong political pedigree, 66-year-old Herzog was sworn in as Israel's president in 2021 after being elected by lawmakers in a landslide.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

During the course of his sworn testimony, Williams was shown a number of internal military documents by the inquiry's lawyers.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Ultimately, the reorganization eliminated 133 positions: 70 sworn positions, 62 non-sworn ones and one support staffer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

In a last-ditch effort, they hatched a plan to appeal directly to Penkovsky's bosses in the GRU—their sworn enemies—to plead for his life.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Some social media users are swearing by a way of avoiding ads on Pinterest, WSJ Leadership Institute’s Megan Graham reports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 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

For this and other reasons, Kevin Warsh, at his swearing in as the new Fed chairman External link last month, singled out Greenspan among his predecessors for praise in delivering prosperity without inflation.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

She holds her hand up like someone’s swearing her in.

From "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko

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Related Words

• affirm
• assert
• depose
• testify
• vow

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