vow
Americannoun
-
vows
plural
-
a solemn promise, pledge, or personal commitment.
marriage vows; a vow of secrecy.
-
a solemn promise made to a deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service, or condition.
-
a solemn or earnest declaration.
verb (used with object)
-
vows,
present (3rd person singular)
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vowed,
past participle, past
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vowing
present participle
-
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)
-
vows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
vowed,
past participle, past
-
vowing
present participle
-
to make a vow.
-
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
-
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
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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.
See Examples For:
In AI Theater, titans warn and officials vow, but whatever those officials announce—a commission, a framework—won’t keep up with developments in the lab.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
However, at 66, she broke her vow and married David Bale, a British businessman and animal rights advocate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
The Daily Express headlines on Burnham's vow to abstain in the assisted dying vote and remain neutral when the bill returns to the Commons.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
"Along with our vow to renounce war, I reaffirmed our determination to continue fulfilling our responsibility to uphold Japan's postwar path as a peaceful nation," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
“So what happens if one of you breaks the vow? Like if Aurora flew off and left you in danger,” asked Gregor.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
The deal, and similar ones at other elite schools, prompted vows by university leaders to encourage a range of viewpoints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
But there are others who absolutely believe in City executives Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Ferran Soriano's vows to prove the club's innocence.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
He also vows more accountability when it comes to ensuring that all payments overseen by the controller’s office are cross-referenced to ensure that the work was performed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Puth also parted ways with his Trousdale Estates property in 2024—the same year he and Sansone exchanged vows in Montecito.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
In Catholicism, a religious order is a community of people who take solemn vows in accordance with a specific way of life.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Eventually, the board decided to oust its then-CEO and bring in Joyner, a CVS veteran who vowed to keep the company intact while fixing its operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
In a Tuesday night press conference, Dave Regan, president of United Healthcare Workers West, vowed to fight on, whatever the result.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
It vowed to sustain "growth and investment across North Sea communities as the energy sector transitions".
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
Despite attack ads saying otherwise, Roy hasn’t vowed to block prosecution of certain misdemeanor crimes — even though she prefers diversion programs as a way to aid homeless defendants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
He was impressed, and vowed not to say a word about the pain from the thorn scratches across his face.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
In 2024, Labour said it would remove "discriminatory age bands", vowing to end the gap between the adult minimum wage and pay for 18 to 20-year-olds.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Despite Britain being an important export market for the Psagot winery, co-founder Yaakov Berg downplayed the economic impact of sanctions, vowing to stay on the land and grow his business.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
They all left vowing to get together again soon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
The sudden loss has ripped at the heart of Santa Clarita, with officials already vowing to rebuild.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The North Vietnamese were vowing to fight for as long as it took to win, Johnson pointed out.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
