vow

[ vou ]

/ vaʊ /

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See synonyms for: vow / vowed / vows on Thesaurus.com

noun

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)

to make a vow of; promise by a vow, as to God or a saint: to vow a crusade or a pilgrimage.

to pledge or resolve solemnly to do, make, give, observe, etc.: They vowed revenge.

to declare solemnly or earnestly; assert emphatically (often followed by a clause as object): She vowed that she would take the matter to court.

to dedicate or devote by a vow: to vow oneself to the service of God.

verb (used without object)

to make a vow.

to make a solemn or earnest declaration.

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about vow

take vows, to enter a religious order or house.

Origin of vow

1250–1300; Middle English <Anglo-French, Old French vo(u) <Latin vōtum, neuter of vōtus, past participle of vovēre to vow

OTHER WORDS FROM vow

vower, nounvowless, adjectiveun·vowed, adjective

Words nearby vow

voucher system, vouchsafe, vouge, voussoir, Vouvray, vow, vowel, vowel gradation, vowel harmony, vowelize, vowel mutation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use vow in a sentence

We thank the Council for their action today, as we all reaffirm our vow that hate has no place in the District of Columbia.
D.C. Council approves bill banning LGBTQ panic defense|Lou Chibbaro Jr.|December 16, 2020|Washington Blade
Encouraged by a friend, I wrote and asked if, while she stayed with us, the justice might consider officiating over a brief ceremony to renew our marriage vows.
The Notorious RBG|Ted Osius|September 19, 2020|Washington Blade
As major drug companies prepare a public vow to adhere to the most rigorous vaccine safety standards, watch for a fringe-driven conversation against vaccines to accelerate.
American Fringes: How the Media Makes it Worse|Nick Fouriezos|September 7, 2020|Ozy
Katelyn Stanis, owner of vow writing company Wedding Words, had to cut her own guest list down from 100 to 15.
How to update your guests about your pandemic wedding plans|Brooke Henderson|August 29, 2020|Fortune

In addition to being a part of the strange club of 2020 brides, Stanis knows what it’s like to be on both sides of the bridal party––after all, she’s a professional wedding vow and speechwriter.
How to turn down a wedding invitation during the coronavirus pandemic|Brooke Henderson|August 23, 2020|Fortune
Kenyatta made a Bush-like vow to continue the war on Al-Shabab, saying, “We will not flinch.”
Al-Shabab’s Anti-Christian Slaughter|Margot Kiser|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under unusually blue skies in Beijing, the American and Chinese presidents vow cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Obama and Xi Jinping Say They’ll Work Together to Save Environment|Ben Leung|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He made the vow on June 30, and I remember thinking at the time how strange it seemed.
Immigration Reform? Not Until Hillary|Michael Tomasky|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Somewhat coyly, Skidmore admits that “Richard was to break this solemn vow in spectacular style.”
Three Dicks: Cheney, Nixon, Richard III and the Art of Reputation Rehab|Clive Irving|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hamas spokesmen stand by the hospital gates and denounce the attack on Al Shejaiya as a massacre and vow to fight on.
Palestinians Fleeing Israeli Bombardment in Gaza Have ‘Nowhere Left to Run’|Jesse Rosenfeld|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My mother opposed her vow to his; not to suffer her child to leave her, till the time of her being professed.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The swearing of an oath always brings under obligation to God, and therefore always includes the making of a vow.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
I have made a vow never to be hanged in the beginning of a revolution, nor to be shot in the beginning of a war.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The apprehension that God will punish for not making fulfilment to him accompanies equally the oath and the vow.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
In like manner, the Nazarite separated himself from certain things, not merely in reality, but likewise by vow.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham

British Dictionary definitions for vow

vow

/ (vaʊ) /

noun

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

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

take vows 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

(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to pledge, promise, or undertake solemnlyhe vowed that he would continue; he vowed to return

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

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

(intr) archaic to declare solemnly

Derived forms of vow

vower, nounvowless, adjective

Word Origin for vow

C13: from Old French vou, from Latin vōtum a solemn promise, from vovēre to vow

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012