vow

American  

[vou] / vaʊ /

noun

1. a solemn promise, pledge, or personal commitment.

   marriage vows; a vow of secrecy.

2. a solemn promise made to a deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service, or condition.

3. a solemn or earnest declaration.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a vow of; promise by a vow, as to God or a saint.

   to vow a crusade or a pilgrimage.

2. to pledge or resolve solemnly to do, make, give, observe, etc..

   They vowed revenge.

3. to declare solemnly or earnestly; assert emphatically (often followed by a clause as object).

   She vowed that she would take the matter to court.

4. to dedicate or devote by a vow.

   to vow oneself to the service of God.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a vow.

2. to make a solemn or earnest declaration.

idioms

1. take vows, to enter a religious order or house.

vow British  

/ vaʊ /

noun

1. a solemn or earnest pledge or promise binding the person making it to perform a specified act or behave in a certain way

2. 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

3. 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

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verb

1. (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

2. (tr) to dedicate or consecrate to God, a deity, or a saint

3. (tr; usually takes a clause as object) to assert or swear emphatically

4. archaic (intr) to declare solemnly

Other Word Forms

• unvowed adjective
• vower noun
• vowless adjective

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

Example Sentences

Yang added in a repost that he “should not have cursorily weighed in on this” and vowed to use his platform “responsibly.”

From Salon

The arriving fighters were met with tears and vows of vengeance from hundreds of people who gathered to greet them in the northeastern Kurdish city of Qamishli, according to AFP correspondents at the scene.

From Barron's

Hanwha, which has deep pockets and extensive shipbuilding know-how, has vowed to plow $5 billion into upgrades and dramatically multiply the workforce.

From The Wall Street Journal

Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab -- which has fought the Somali government for around two decades -- has vowed to fight any attempt by Israel to use Somaliland as a base.

From Barron's

Reality television star Spencer Pratt has launched a campaign for mayor of Los Angeles, vowing to "expose the system".

From BBC

Related Words

• affirm
• assure
• declare
• promise
• swear