vow
Americannoun
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a solemn promise, pledge, or personal commitment.
marriage vows; a vow of secrecy.
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a solemn promise made to a deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service, or condition.
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a solemn or earnest declaration.
verb (used with object)
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to make a vow of; promise by a vow, as to God or a saint.
to vow a crusade or a pilgrimage.
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to pledge or resolve solemnly to do, make, give, observe, etc..
They vowed revenge.
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to declare solemnly or earnestly; assert emphatically (often followed by a clause as object).
She vowed that she would take the matter to court.
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to dedicate or devote by a vow.
to vow oneself to the service of God.
verb (used without object)
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to make a vow.
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to make a solemn or earnest declaration.
idioms
noun
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a solemn or earnest pledge or promise binding the person making it to perform a specified act or behave in a certain way
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a solemn promise made to a deity or saint, by which the promiser pledges himself to some future act, course of action, or way of life
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to enter a religious order and commit oneself to its rule of life by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which may be taken for a limited period as simple vows or as a perpetual and still more solemn commitment as solemn vows
verb
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(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to pledge, promise, or undertake solemnly
he vowed that he would continue
he vowed to return
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(tr) to dedicate or consecrate to God, a deity, or a saint
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(tr; usually takes a clause as object) to assert or swear emphatically
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archaic (intr) to declare solemnly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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vowsimple
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vowssimple
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have vowedperfect
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has vowedperfect
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am vowingprogressive
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are vowingprogressive
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is vowingprogressive
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have been vowingperfect progressive
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has been vowingperfect progressive
Past
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vowedsimple
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had vowedperfect
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was vowingprogressive
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were vowingprogressive
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had been vowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of vow
1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French vo ( u ) < Latin vōtum, neuter of vōtus, past participle of vovēre to vow
Explanation
To vow is to make an earnest promise or pledge. People getting married often vow to stick together “till death do us part,” while a presidential candidate might vow to lower taxes. You can use vow as both a noun and a verb: A vow is a solemn declaration; to vow is the act of making that promise. Vows are meant to be serious, sacred things, even vows made with the best intentions can be broken. Wrote American short-story writer and poet Dorothy Parker, “By the time you swear you are his, shivering and sighing, And he vows his passion is infinite and undying—Lady, make a note of this: One of you is lying.”
Vocabulary lists containing vow
Beowulf vocabulary
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Mardi Gras: Faith
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The Lemonade War
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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.
Carmine Russo made a vow to his friends.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 2026
For two decades, he followed the Nazarite vow, a promise not to cut his hair.
From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026
Losing Catherine to Edgar, the heir of Thrushcross Grange, prompts Heathcliff, the perpetual outsider, to vow vengeance; he maneuvers to gain financial control of both houses with the aim of destroying each one’s inhabitants.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
Other pledges have proven harder to fulfill, like the prime minister's vow to double the number of homes built annually in Canada to bring down costs.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
But I nod to Thaya Jaan and vow to do better.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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.
